{"id":20360,"date":"2026-03-15T14:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/20360\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T14:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:08:13","slug":"gulf-countries-report-new-attacks-after-iran-warns-major-uae-ports-to-evacuate-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/20360\/","title":{"rendered":"Gulf Countries Report New Attacks After Iran Warns Major UAE Ports to Evacuate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gulf countries reported new attacks Sunday morning, a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates, threatening for the first time a neighboring country\u2019s non-U.S. assets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tehran accused the United States of using \u201cports, docks and hideouts\u201d in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island<\/a>, home to the main terminal handling Iran\u2019s oil exports, without providing evidence, as the war<\/a> showed no signs of ending.<\/p>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped allies would send warships to secure the vital Strait of \u200bHormuz.<\/p>\n

A violent storm hammers displaced Lebanese people on Beirut\u2019s waterfront\n <\/p>\n

The displaced struggled to keep their tents intact as pouring rain and fierce winds hammered the city\u2019s downtown waterfront area Sunday.<\/p>\n

An AP team on the ground witnessed one tent succumb to the winds, blowing away entirely.<\/p>\n

Fadi Younes, one displaced man who fled to the beach from Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs, found himself battling with his collapsed tent. He had already rebuilt it once after a storm two days ago, he said.<\/p>\n

He gestured to new mattresses, now waterlogged, that he bought after the last ones got soaked through.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that today things in the country will be set right and everyone can return to their homes. A person only truly feels at ease in their own home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Younes is among more than 830,000 people displaced by Israeli strikes and evacuation warnings in Lebanon. The Norwegian Refugee Council says that amounts to one in every seven people.<\/p>\n

UN Ambassador Mike Waltz says Trump is weighing options to hit Iran\u2019s oil hub\n <\/p>\n

Waltz was asked on CNN Sunday whether the U.S. president was prepared to target oil facilities on Kharg island, which handles 90% of Iran\u2019s crude oil exports, and if so, if he was worried that that could risk even more of an escalation in the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s not going to take any options off the table,\u201d Waltz said. \u201cI would certainly think he would maintain that optionality if he wants to take down their their energy infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Central Command posted on X Saturday that it had struck military targets on the island, but preserved the oil infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Iran says strategic strait open to all vessels except the US and its allies\n <\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi\u2019s comments about the reopening of the crucial Strait of Hormuz came in an interview with the London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed published Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Strait of Hormuz is not generally closed, but only to the U.S. and its allies, and we will continue this policy as long as the attacks continue,\u201d he was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n

Aluminium Bahrain to gradually stop some production\n <\/p>\n

The world\u2019s largest aluminum smelter outside China said Sunday it would gradually shut down nearly one-fifth of its production capacity as exports remain blocked through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Aluminium Bahrain, or Alba, promised a \u201ccontrolled and safe shutdown strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smelters run at high temperatures and take time to shut down or restart without endangering equipment or damage the containers that hold molten metals.<\/p>\n

The company told buyers last week it couldn\u2019t meet its obligations. The timeline of a phased partial shutdown means global aluminum supplies could remain tight even if transit through the Strait of Hormuz quickly returns to normal, keeping upward pressure on prices for products such as construction materials and cars.<\/p>\n

Aluminum and oil make up a big part of Bahrain\u2019s economy and limits on production and export threaten to deepen woes in the Persian Gulf Island nation being hit with Iranian airstrikes.<\/p>\n

The United Arab Emirates said it was attacked Sunday by 4 ballistic missiles and 6 drones from Iran\n <\/p>\n

There was no immediate word on damage or casualties.<\/p>\n

Latest Iranian missile attack on Israel injures 2 and damages apartment building\n <\/p>\n

It was one of the multiple barrages targeting Israel Sunday. It damaged an apartment building in the central Israeli ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak.<\/p>\n

The country\u2019s Magen David Adom rescue services said that one man was injured by glass shrapnel. Photos and video showed a blackened hole in place of the apartment\u2019s windows.<\/p>\n

Magen David Adom also said paramedics were treating another man in the nearby city of Ramat Gan who sustained blast injuries. It comes after an earlier barrage hit 23 sites in the Tel Aviv area and injured two people.<\/p>\n

Southern Beirut ravaged by overnight strikes\n <\/p>\n

Collapsed concrete, exposed rebar and sheets of plastic spilled onto the streets of southern Beirut Sunday morning. Smoke rose into the air and small fires burned.<\/p>\n

That was the scene in the city\u2019s suburb of Haret Hreik, after a night of continued Israeli airstrikes.<\/p>\n

In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by war, just over a year since the last conflict uprooted over a million Lebanese from their homes. Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 106 children and 65 women, since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, according to the Health Ministry.<\/p>\n

Pope addresses leaders to demand a ceasefire in the Mideast\n <\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday escalated his appeal for peace by directly addressing the leaders who launched the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict,\u201d Leo said. \u201cCease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Leo didn\u2019t mention the United States or Israel by name, he mentioned the bombings that targeted a school \u2014 an apparent reference to the missile strike on an elementary school in Iran in the opening days of the war that killed over 165 people, many of them children.<\/p>\n

The Vatican has highlighted the carnage of the Minab strike, running a photo of the mass grave for the victims on the front page of its official newspaper, L\u2019Osservatore Romano, under the headline \u201cThe Face of War.\u201d U.S. officials have said outdated intelligence likely led to the United States launching the strike, and that an investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n

Norwegian leader worried about continuing escalation\n <\/p>\n

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re said it should be the responsibility of the countries involved to \u201cfind ways of ending the hostilities that now have great impact around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking alongside the leaders of Canada and the other Nordic nations on Sunday, St\u00f8re said \u201cit seems to us that the plan for how it will develop is pretty unclear.\u201d He added: \u201cThat\u2019s the danger with initiating wars, that they rarely follow a script.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that \u201cwe are concerned to see that there is still an escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n

South Korea will coordinate with US over Trump\u2019s hopes for warships in the Gulf\n <\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it \u201ctakes note\u201d of Trump\u2019s comments. It said that South Korea and the U.S. \u201cwill closely coordinate and carefully review\u201d the situation.<\/p>\n

The ministry said South Korea closely monitors developments in the Middle East and explores various options to secure safe energy supply routes and protect South Korean nationals.<\/p>\n

The Korea International Trade Association says it gets around 70% of its crude oil and 20% of its LNG from the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Britain \u2018intensively\u2019 looking at how to help secure Strait of Hormuz\n <\/p>\n

Asked whether Britain is considering sending minesweepers or mine-hunting drones to the strategic waterway to help shipping return to normal, U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News: \u201cWe are talking to our allies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are intensively looking with our allies at what can be done, because it\u2019s so important that we get the strait reopened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Miliband told the BBC on Sunday that \u201cany options that can help to get the strait reopened are being looked at.\u201d He added: \u201cWe don\u2019t want a nuclear Iran but ending this conflict is the best and surest way to get the strait reopened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Japanese leader expected to discuss sending warships with Trump\n <\/p>\n

Expectations are high that U.S. President Donald Trump could ask Japan to send warships to the Persian Gulf when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets him on Thursday at the White House.<\/p>\n

Public opinion in Japan is divided about getting involved. Foreign Ministry sources told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that Japan makes its own decisions and won\u2019t dispatch ships just because Trump asked. Defense Ministry sources told NHK that deploying Japan\u2019s Self-Defense Forces would be difficult, involving the assessment of the legality of U.S. and Israeli actions. NHK did not identify the sources.<\/p>\n

Iran says 56 cultural sites damaged in 2 weeks of strikes\n <\/p>\n

The sites include museums and bazaars, historic government buildings and mosques, Iran\u2019s Cultural Heritage Ministry said Sunday.<\/p>\n

Among the damaged sites are the ornate Qajar-era Golestan Palace in Tehran and the Shah Abbas Mosque and the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun palace in Isfahan.<\/p>\n

The damage isn\u2019t limited to Tehran and Isfahan. The ministry said sites in Kurdistan, Lorestan and Kermanshah were also affected.<\/p>\n

Missile attack on Israel leaves 2 lightly wounded\n <\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s rescue service Magen David Adom said two men were lightly wounded in central Israel from an Iranian missile attack.<\/p>\n

Video released by the service showed a large hole in a city street and shrapnel damage to an apartment building.<\/p>\n

The Israeli rescue service United Hatzalah said it was aware of 23 damaged sites.<\/p>\n

Israeli police said authorities were inspecting the scenes. Magen David Adom, another rescue service, posted pictures of a car partially set on fire after the barrage.<\/p>\n

Iranian foreign minister says Tehran will study any proposal to end war\n <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s top diplomat says his country is ready to consider any proposal that includes \u201ca complete end\u201d to the U.S.-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic, according to an interview with an Arab daily.<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by the London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed that mediations by Iran\u2019s neighbors were underway to de-escalate and present \u201cideas to end the war.\u201d He gave no indication on whether progress has been made.<\/p>\n

Araghchi also insisted that Iran\u2019s attacks on its Arab neighbors were limited to U.S. bases and assets. He said Tehran is ready to establish a joint committee with its neighbors to investigate such attacks.<\/p>\n

Tankers continue to load oil on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island\n <\/p>\n

A tanker was seen loading oil Sunday on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island, two days after the U.S. struck military facilities there.<\/p>\n

The vessel-tracking platform TankerTrackers said seven more tankers are seen at the anchorage. Five had already loaded fuel oil, while two are waiting to load, according to satellite imagery. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear who the tankers belong to.<\/p>\n

Bahrain tallies hundreds of intercepted Iranian projectiles\n <\/p>\n

Bahrain said Sunday its air defenses have intercepted 125 missiles and 211 drones since the Iran war began.<\/p>\n

The small island nation \u2014 home to the U.S. Navy\u2019s Fifth Fleet \u2014 has been among the most affected by Iranian strikes, which have hit ports, a hotel, a refinery and a water desalination plant. Similar in size to Singapore and less than one-third the size of Rhode Island, it relies on U.S.-made air defense systems. At least one person has been killed in the attacks.<\/p>\n

UN migration agency warns of mass displacement in Iran\n <\/p>\n

The International Organization for Migration said Sunday that deteriorating conditions in Iranian cities were \u201cdriving increasingly complex mobility patterns.\u201d It says the destruction of homes and facilities that provide basic services are pushing many Iranians to northern provinces, where they think they could be safer.<\/p>\n

The U.N. agency said people have been displaced to more than 20 provinces and that shelters were facing strain throughout Iran. Iranians are also fleeing to neighboring states, the agency said, including nearly 32,000 to Afghanistan and nearly 4,000 to Pakistan, even though airports and most border crossings \u2014 especially to Iraq \u2014 are closed.<\/p>\n

Iran says 425 women and children have been killed in airstrikes\n <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Health Ministry says U.S. and Israeli strikes have killed 223 women and 202 children since the start of the war on Feb. 28, according to Mizan, the official Iranian judiciary news agency.<\/p>\n

The Iranian Red Crescent has said that more than 1,300 people have been killed.<\/p>\n

An airstrike hit housing units in Shiraz, media in Iran say\n <\/p>\n

A U.S.-Israeli attack early Sunday morning targeted an impoverished residential neighborhood in the southern city of Shiraz, Iran\u2019s state-run news agency IRNA said.<\/p>\n

The strike, which occurred southeast of the city, destroyed several housing units belonging to workers and people supported by the state welfare organization, the report said. It said a number of homes were destroyed and several people were injured. There were no reports of fatalities.<\/p>\n

There was no immediate comment from Israel or the U.S. On Friday, Israel said it targeted a missile facility in Shiraz. It also has gone after what it says are checkpoints erected by Iran\u2019s paramilitary Basij force.<\/p>\n

Switzerland refused permission for 2 US military overflights\n <\/p>\n

Neutral Switzerland says it refused permission for two overflights by U.S. reconnaissance planes \u201cin the context of the war in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government said late Saturday that Switzerland\u2019s neutrality law forbids overflights by parties to a conflict that have a military purpose in connection with that conflict. But it does allow humanitarian and medical transit, as well as flights unconnected with the conflict.<\/p>\n

Switzerland said it did give clearance for two U.S. transport aircraft to fly over the country on Sunday and for a newly serviced plane to transit on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard vows to kill Netanyahu\n <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard vowed Sunday to hunt down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the criminal Zionist prime minister is still alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,\u201d the IRGC said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Israel says Iran has launched more missiles\n <\/p>\n

The Israeli military says Iran has launched a new barrage of missiles toward Israel.<\/p>\n

It says sirens are alerting residents in areas under attack and air defenses have been activated.<\/p>\n

Emirati adviser slams Iran\u2019s claim that Kharg strikes were launched from the UAE\n <\/p>\n

\u201cThis reflects a confused policy that missed the point, lost its direction, and lacked wisdom,\u201d Anwar Gargash, adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, wrote on social media late Saturday.<\/p>\n

Gargash was referring to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi\u2019s comments in which he accused the U.S. of using the UAE as a base for its attacks on Iran’s Kharg Island.<\/p>\n

Gulf countries report fresh attacks\n <\/p>\n

Sirens sounded in Bahrain ahead of an assault on Sunday, while the United Arab Emirates reported a missile attack, urging residents to shelter in safe locations.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia\u2019s Defense Ministry said its systems intercepted and destroyed 10 drones over the capital, Riyadh, and the kingdom\u2019s eastern region.<\/p>\n

Iran accuses \u2018the enemy\u2019 of attacking neighboring countries to pin blame on Tehran\n <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s joint military command accused in a statement Sunday “the enemy\u201d of using copycat Iranian drones to attack neighboring countries and pin the blame on Tehran, state media reported.<\/p>\n

Tehran usually uses \u201cthe enemy\u201d as a reference to the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n

The statement said copies of Iran’s Shahed-136 drone, known as LUCAS, were used to hit \u201cirrelevant targets in the regional states,” including attacks on Turkey, Iraq and Kuwait. No evidence was provided.<\/p>\n

The military command also said Iran openly shares its targets, which it describes as U.S. and Israeli interests, and urged trust and cooperation from regional countries.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The\u00a0Associated Press<\/a>. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See \u2013 March 2026<\/p>\n

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