Saturday’s events in the Iran-US war captured the full scope of the conflict’s brutality in a single day: dark smoke over Fujairah as Iranian missiles struck the UAE’s oil port, fresh explosions over Iranian cities as US and Israeli warplanes bombed targets including Kharg Island, rockets arcing toward Israel, and an emergency evacuation order for Americans in Iraq after the US embassy in Baghdad was hit overnight. The war, now in its third week, was producing new horrors daily while drawing closer to triggering a global economic crisis.
Iran launched ballistic missiles at the UAE on Saturday, striking near Fujairah’s major ship-refuelling hub and forcing a suspension of oil-loading operations. Iranian military officials warned civilians near ports and US installations to evacuate, signalling more strikes might follow. Iran’s military threatened to hit any Gulf energy facility with American ties, and the foreign minister called on Arab states to expel US forces. Iran simultaneously fired rockets at Israel, keeping pressure on multiple fronts and demonstrating that its military campaign remained broad and coordinated.
US warplanes struck Kharg Island for the second consecutive day. President Trump said in public remarks the island had been effectively demolished and left open the possibility of further strikes. He called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed since February 28. The appeal was interpreted as a first public acknowledgment that the US might need multilateral support to reopen the waterway. Trump also threatened to strike Iran’s remaining oil infrastructure if the Hormuz blockade continued.
Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes across Iran, killing at least 15 people in an Isfahan factory. Iran fired rockets at Israel in return. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Iran’s leaders were “desperate and hiding” and said the new supreme leader had been wounded. Iranian officials confirmed Khamenei’s injury but called it minor. The International Crisis Group’s analysis found the regime intact and pursuing a deliberate strategy of prolonged conflict.
The day’s events added to a mounting toll. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed in the bombing campaign. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had died. Lebanon’s crisis deepened, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Six US troops died in an aircraft crash in Iraq. Oil prices were nearing $120 per barrel. The day’s events — smoke, missiles, escalating threats, and rising prices — encapsulated a war that showed no sign of ending any time soon.