Foreign military strikes on Iran have intensified debate over the country’s political stability, exposing deep divisions within society about the regime and the cost of war.
One of the world's largest refineries in the UAE was shut as a "precaution" after a drone attack nearby, a source said, while Saudi giant Aramco warned of the war's devastating impact on oil.
Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it had intercepted a wave of seven drones heading towards a strategic oil field, as Iran renewed fire on its Gulf neighbours and their energy infrastructure.
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is "safe and sound" despite reports of an injury during the war with Israel and the United States, said the son of the Iranian president on Wednesday.
Iran’s central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, warned it will target economic centers and banks linked to the United States and Israel across the region after overnight strikes.
Drones fell near Dubai airport, injuring four people, while ships were hit in or near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as Iran kept up its campaign disrupting oil markets and air and maritime traffic.
Israeli strikes on oil storage facilities near Tehran over the weekend temporarily turned the Iranian capital into a fire-lit “hellscape,” with long-term environmental and health damage expected.
Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.
