Israel strikes oil storage sites near Tehran

The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday it was in a “state of self-defense” in the face of “unjustified” Iranian attacks on its territory.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X that over 1,400 ballistic missiles and drones were fired at its infrastructure and civilian sites, killing and injuring civilians.

“The UAE stresses it does not seek to be drawn into any conflicts or escalations, but it affirms its full right to protect its sovereignty and national security, and the safety of its territory and that of all its citizens and residents,” the statement read.

With the Middle East serving as a major hub for global aid shipments, disruptions to humanitarian cargo could mean “lives not saved” in crisis zones worldwide, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Sunday, making them the first Israeli troops to have died since fighting flared with the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah.

“Master Sergeant Maher Khatar, aged 38, from Majdal Shams, a soldier from the Combat Engineering Corps in the 91st division, fell during combat in southern Lebanon,” a military statement said, adding that a second soldier was killed in the same incident.

The military did not name the second soldier or provide further details on the circumstances of the incident.

Australia has directed the dependents of its officials posted to the UAE to leave “due to the deteriorating security situation,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday.

In a post on X, Wong said Canberra continued to “advise Australians not to travel to the UAE.” She added that the Australian government has been working hard to help Australians leave the Gulf country, as per a February 28 advice.

The Australian Government has directed the departure of dependents of Australian officials posted to the UAE, due to the deteriorating security situation. Our travel advice has been updated to reflect that direction. We continue to advise Australians not to travel to the UAE.

“We’re engaging with airlines and contacting registered Australians directly when we know seats are available. If you can secure a seat, please consider taking it,” Wong said, adding that over 1,700 Australians have thus far returned from the UAE in direct flights.

The German Foreign Office says staff at the German Embassy in Tehran have been moved as a result of the Iran war.

“The safety of our employees is our top priority and is therefore constantly being discussed by the German government’s crisis management team,” the Foreign Office said Sunday.

It said the embassy’s staff had been relocated to an undisclosed location “temporarily due to the threat situation.”

It added that the embassy’s work had already been heavily reduced as a precaution since mid-January, but that it “can still be reached.”

Security in the Middle East has deteriorated since last weekend, when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran.

Tehran then carried out retaliatory attacks on Israel and US military installations in Gulf countries.

Since then, the conflict has escalated, with attacks from both sides continuing and Israel launching strikes on Lebanon.

The Israeli and American war against Iran has disrupted one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

China, Europe, and India face mounting supply risks, while Russia stands to benefit from soaring prices and shifting trade flows.

Pope Leo XIV used his Sunday address to call end to the “roar of bombs” in the Middle East, warning that the war triggered by joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran could drag other countries, including “dear Lebanon.”

“We raise our humble prayer to the Lord, that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open in which the voices of the peoples may be heard,” the pontiff said at the end of his Angelus address.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the past week have killed 394 people, the country’s health minister said on Sunday. 

Those killed include 83 children and 42 women, Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said at a press conference.

Nine rescue workers are also among those killed, Nassereddine added, condemning attacks on medical teams and ambulances.

Lebanon was drawn last Monday into the regional war between Iran, Israel and the US.

French President Emmanuel Macron is planning a visit to Cyprus on Monday.

His visit comes as European nations ramp up support to the European Union member after a drone strike hit a British base on the island on Monday.

Macron’s visit aims to show “solidarity” and moves to “strengthen security around Cyprus and in the eastern Mediterranean,” the French presidency said on Sunday.

The French president will meet Cypriot counterpart Nikos ​Christodoulides and Greek ​Prime ‌Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his visit.

France, Greece and Spain are among countries that said they’ll deploy warships to the Mediterranean following the strike on Cyprus.

Fuel distribution has been “temporarily interrupted” in the Iranian capital, Tehran, the IRNA state news agency reported on Sunday.

The news comes after intense Israeli missile strikes hit oil depots in and around Tehran late Saturday.

“Due to damage to the fuel supply network, distribution has been temporarily interrupted,” IRNA quoted Tehran’s governor, Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, as saying.      

“The problem is being resolved,” he added.

The clerical body in Iran tasked with choosing the next supreme leader has reached a majority consensus on who the new leader will be, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as saying “some obstacles” still needed to be resolved.

Iranian media reported on a minor disagreement within the group regarding whether their final decision must follow an in-person meeting or if they could skip the formality given the circumstances.

Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, another member ​of the Assembly of Experts, said in a video released Sunday by Nour News, which is affiliated with Iran’s National Security Council, that an in-person ⁠meeting ​by the assembly for a ​final vote was not possible under current conditions.

He said that the assembly has picked a candidate, guided by late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s advice that Iran’s top leader should be “hated by the enemy” rather than praised by it.

“Even the Great Satan has mentioned ⁠his name,” Heidari ​Alekasir said of the chosen successor, in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump. 

Trump has specifically dismissed Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as an “unacceptable” choice for Iran’s new supreme leader.

The US president has said he wants to be involved in having a say in the choice for Iran’s new leader, while Israel has said that it would pursue any successor to Khamenei. 

Three Indonesian crew members aboard a United Arab Emirates-flagged tugboat that sank in the Strait of Hormuz are missing, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said.

The Musaffah 2 tugboat sank on Friday.

The tugboat had seven crew members from Indonesia, India and the Philippines, the ministry said, adding that four survived while three Indonesians were missing.

The boat experienced an explosion, caught fire and sank.

The tugboat was hit by two missiles while it attempted to provide assistance to the Malta-flagged container ship, Safeen Prestige, which was also hit by a missile on Wednesday, private maritime security company Vanguard said.

Ships navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz have come under attack since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.

Two Kuwaiti border security officers were killed “while performing their duties,” Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

In a statement on X, the ministry offered its condolences and said the two officers died in the early hours of Sunday “while performing their duties within the framework of the security duties concerning the Interior Ministry.”

Iran said Sunday it had struck US bases in Kuwait.

Kuwait has also been among Gulf countries routinely intercepting drones and missiles launched by Iran since joint US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran on February 28 triggered retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.

A water desalination plant in Bahrain suffered “material damage” after being struck by an Iranian drone attack on Sunday morning, Bahrain said.

Bahrain’s water authority said the attack had no impact on water supplies.

The strike marks the first time that such a facility – hundreds of which are located along the Persian Gulf and upon which the region relies for drinking water – has been directly impacted by the war, which is now into its ninth day.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said that missile fragments fell onto a road in the capital Manama, injuring up to three people and causing damage to several shops.

The incidents came despite an apology from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who said on Saturday that the country’s leadership council had ordered that no such strikes be authorized against neighboring countries unless they were retaliatory in nature.