Iran warned it could wage an “intense war” for six months against the United States and Israel as the two allies expanded strikes across Iran and the wider West Asia, hitting fuel depots near Tehran while Tehran moved closer to naming a successor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The conflict, triggered by joint US–Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed Khamenei, has entered its second week with no sign of de-escalation. Instead, both sides have widened attacks on military and energy infrastructure across the region, raising fears of a prolonged war that could disrupt global oil supplies and destabilise the Middle East.
Overnight Israeli strikes hit fuel depots near Tehran, sending towering flames into the sky and leaving thick black smoke hanging over the Iranian capital by morning. Residents said the glow of the fires lit up the night sky before dense clouds of smoke blanketed the city.
Israel said the depots were legitimate military targets used to support Iran’s war effort, including the storage of fuel for ballistic missile systems. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would press ahead “with all our force,” promising further attacks as part of a broader campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s leadership.
Iran condemned the strikes as a dangerous escalation. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said targeting fuel depots released toxic materials into the air and amounted to a war crime that endangered civilians and the environment.
The attacks marked the first reported strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure since the conflict began, fuelling concerns over global energy supplies. Oil prices have surged while stock markets have fallen as traders worry about disruptions to exports from the region.
Targeting Energy Infrastructure
The conflict has rapidly expanded beyond Iran and Israel. Iranian missile and drone attacks have struck targets across the Gulf, including fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport and a desalination plant in Bahrain — facilities critical to water supplies in the desert region.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a wave of drones heading toward key sites in Riyadh, including the diplomatic quarter. The United Arab Emirates also reported intercepting most of the missiles and drones launched toward its territory.
The strike on Kuwait’s aviation fuel storage intensified fears over energy security. Kuwait’s national oil company has already cut crude production amid threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass.
The war has also spilled into Lebanon. Israel said it carried out a precision strike targeting commanders from the Quds Force — the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — at a seaside hotel in central Beirut. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least four people were killed in the strike, which left shattered windows and charred walls at the building.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon, has launched rockets and drones toward Israel in recent days, drawing heavy Israeli retaliation that Lebanese officials say has killed nearly 400 people in the past week.
Casualties have climbed across the region. Iranian officials say more than 1,200 people have been killed in the country since the war began, including around 200 children and 200 women. About a dozen people have died in Israel from Iranian missile attacks.
Wartime Succession
Meanwhile, Iran’s clerical leadership is moving to fill the vacuum created by Khamenei’s death. Iranian media reported that the Assembly of Experts — the powerful clerical body responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader — is close to announcing a successor.
Although officials have not confirmed the candidate, Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s influential son who has built power within Iran’s security establishment, is widely viewed as the frontrunner.
Israel has warned it could target any successor to Khamenei, underscoring the risk of further escalation.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards signalled readiness for a prolonged confrontation. A spokesman said Iranian forces had so far used only “first and second generation” missiles and could deploy more advanced long-range weapons in the coming days. The armed forces, he said, were capable of sustaining the current pace of operations for at least six months.
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Washington was prepared to continue the campaign, suggesting the conflict might end only once Iran’s military leadership had been eliminated. He also did not rule out sending ground forces later to secure Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iranian leaders rejected calls for surrender. President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that Iran would intensify attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets, saying the country would not bow to “bullying or aggression”.
With missile barrages, drone attacks and airstrikes spreading across the Middle East, world leaders have warned that the conflict risks spiralling further, threatening regional stability, global energy markets and international supply chains.