Iran strikes UAE hours after apologizing for 'fire at will' attacks

Explosions were reported in several areas of Tehran after the Israeli military said it had begun a broad wave of strikes toward infrastructure of the Islamic Republic in the capital.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said responding to the US-Israeli strikes is Tehran’s inherent right of self-defense, urging regional countries not to allow their territory to be used for attacks against Iran.

In a statement, the ministry said Iranian defensive operations against US military bases and facilities in the region should “in no way be interpreted as hostility” toward neighboring countries.

It stressed that such actions are directed solely at forces involved in attacks on Iran and are carried out under the right of self-defense recognized in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a thinly veiled warning to Iran, saying his country is “not easy prey” and referring to Tehran as “the enemy” — a notable departure from the language the UAE has traditionally used toward its northern neighbor.

The president said he “wanted to send a message to the enemy of the UAE.”

Speaking during a visit to a hospital treating civilians wounded in the strikes, he cautioned Iran: “The UAE is beautiful, the UAE is a model to be followed, but I tell you, do not be deceived by that.”

“The UAE’s hand can reach and is strong, its flesh is bitter, and we are not easy prey.”

The comments — his first since the war began — were broadcast shortly after Emirati air defenses responded to a missile threat, despite Iran’s president having suggested earlier in the day that attacks across the Persian Gulf would stop.

“We are carrying out our duty toward our country, our people, and those who live among us. May God protect the UAE, protect its people and everyone in it, and bless it with security and safety,” MBZ added.

“I promise you that what is coming will show us stronger.”

US President Donald Trump left Florida for Dover Air Force base in Delaware to attend the dignified transfer of six American service members killed in the war with Iran.

The remains of the soldiers are expected to arrive at the base at around 1:30 pm local time.

Earlier in the day, he described the deaths as a "very sad situation."

The president said he plans to "greet the families of the heroes coming home from Iran and coming home in a different manner than they thought they'd be coming home."

"They're great heroes in our country, and we're going to keep it that way," he added. "When it comes to war, there's always that."

Ayatollah Mozaffari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, expressed hope that a session to choose the country’s next supreme leader will take place within the next 24 hours, while stressing that no official meeting has yet been held and no decision has been made.

Informed sources earlier told Iran International that the Assembly of Experts' meeting to announce Mojtaba Khamenei as the new leader was held on Saturday, with at least 14 members boycotting the session.

The meeting took place after the Assembly’s session on Friday — convened to present the candidate favored by the Revolutionary Guard — was left unfinished due to concerns over a possible US and Israeli attack.

The UAE air defenses are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran, the Emirati ministry of defense said, hours after Iran's president apologized for "fire at will" attacks on neighbors and said he'd instructed armed forces to stop.

The Iranian navy warship's commander refused to allow the crew to abandon Dena despite the imminent threat, the source added.

The sailor’s father said some crew members argued with the commander, and the 32 crew members who survived were mainly sailors who managed to escape on lifeboats, according to the source.

A US submarine torpedoed Dena in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, about 19 nautical miles from the southern Sri Lankan port of Galle, killing dozens of sailors and significantly expanding Washington’s campaign against Iran’s naval forces.

The sinking of the Dena — described by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth as a “quiet death” — marked the first time since World War II that the United States had torpedoed an enemy warship, underscoring the widening geographic reach of the conflict with Iran.

An internal US State Department cable dated March 6 seen by Reuters said the US urged Sri Lankan authorities not to return the 32 surviving sailors from Dena and the 208 sailors Sri Lanka rescued from naval auxiliary ship IRIS Booshehr.

A US attack struck a freshwater desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island, disrupting water supplies in 30 villages, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday.

"Attacking Iran's infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The US set this precedent, not Iran," he said in a post on X, calling the move a “blatant and desperate crime."

Israeli strikes hit 16 aircraft belonging to the Quds Force, which oversees Iran's overseas military operations, at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran overnight, the Israeli military said on Saturday, adding the planes had been used to transfer weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The IDF said the strikes were part of a broader wave targeting military infrastructure in Tehran, including facilities at the airport.

It said Mehrabad Airport served as a central hub for the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to move weapons and cash to Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East.

Several Iranian fighter jets that posed a threat to Israeli aircraft operating in Iranian airspace were also targeted, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The Israeli military also said measures were taken before the strikes to reduce harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.

The fight against Iran’s enemies will continue until the aggressor is punished and revenge is taken for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said on Saturday.

The committee said in a statement that all enemy bases in countries in the region and beyond would be legitimate and lawful targets, praising Iran’s armed forces for the attacks.

A Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was hit by an attack drone in the Persian Gulf on Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said, according to Iran's state media.

Turkey is considering deploying F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus, Reuters cited a Turkish Defense Ministry source as saying on Saturday.

The person said the move was among steps under consideration as part of phased planning to ensure the security of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north of the island as conflict spreads in the region.

Missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said, adding that air defense systems were operating to intercept the threat.

Iran will not attack neighboring countries if they do not cooperate with the United States in attacks on Iran, Mehdi Tabatabaei, an aide to President Masoud Pezeshkian, said in a post on X on Saturday.

Kuwait’s National Guard said on Saturday that it downed a drone in one of the areas of responsibility where it is supporting the country’s defense ministry.