A pillar of flame rose above a fuel storage facility in Tehran late Saturday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue a war with Iran, promising “many surprises” in the coming days. The strikes marked an escalation in the week-traditional conflict and appeared to be the first time a civilian industrial facility had been directly targeted.
Israel’s military confirmed hitting the fuel storage facilities in the Iranian capital. Associated Press video showed the horizon illuminated by the blaze. Iranian state media blamed “an attack from the U.S. And the Zionist regime” for the strike, which impacted facilities supplying fuel to Tehran and neighboring provinces.
Earlier Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian offered an apology for attacks on “neighboring countries,” even as Iranian missiles and drones continued to target Gulf Arab states. The apology came amid conflicting signals from within Iran’s leadership, revealing a potential rift between those seeking de-escalation and hardliners committed to continuing the conflict with the United States and Israel.
According to reports, the internal division stems from the leadership council overseeing Iran since the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the war’s opening airstrikes. Pezeshkian dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender, stating, “That’s a dream that they should take to their grave.”
Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, threatened further escalation, warning that Iran would be “hit very hard” and that additional “areas and groups of people” would become targets. He characterized U.S. Operations in Iran as an “excursion,” suggesting that issues like rising gas prices and American safety would improve once the conflict concluded.
Pezeshkian’s statement, seemingly delivered hastily, underscored the limited authority of Iran’s theocratic leaders over the Revolutionary Guard, which controls the ballistic missile arsenal targeting Israel and other nations. The Guard appears to be operating independently, answering only to the late Khamenei and selecting its own targets.
Pezeshkian stated that the leadership council had instructed the armed forces to refrain from attacking neighboring countries unless provoked, advocating for a diplomatic resolution. However, Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, another member of the three-man leadership council and the head of the judiciary, indicated that Iran’s war strategy would remain unchanged. He asserted that the “geography of some countries in the region” was being used against Iran and that “intense attacks on these targets will continue.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament and a former Revolutionary Guard general, echoed this sentiment, calling for defense policies aligned with the guidance of the late supreme leader. Iran’s U.N. Mission suggested, without providing evidence, that strikes on nonmilitary sites “may have resulted from interception by U.S. Electronic defense systems.”
Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official, asserted in a state media address that “our leaders are united on this issue and have no disagreements with one another.” He similarly announced that the leadership council had requested arrangements be made to convene the Assembly of Experts to select a new supreme leader, though no timeline was provided.
Trump stated he had ruled out involving Kurdish fighters in the war, despite their willingness to assist in efforts to topple the Iranian government. Kurdish officials had previously informed the Associated Press that Kurdish-Iranian dissident groups in northern Iraq were preparing for a potential cross-border military operation, with the U.S. Reportedly requesting support from Iraqi Kurds.
The conflict has resulted in at least 1,230 deaths in Iran, over 290 in Lebanon, and 11 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. Troops have also been killed. Incoming missiles from Iran prompted Israelis to seek shelter in bomb shelters, though no casualties were reported.
A missile landed on the helicopter landing pad at the U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad, according to three Iraqi security officials. The officials, speaking anonymously, said it was the first strike to hit the heavily fortified Green Zone since the war began. An embassy spokesperson declined to comment.
Strikes also targeted Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. The United Arab Emirates reported the death of an “Asian driver” due to debris from an aerial interception, bringing the total number of deaths in the UAE to four, all foreign nationals. Sirens sounded in Bahrain as Iran targeted the island kingdom, and Saudi Arabia reported destroying drones headed toward its Shaybah oil field and intercepting a ballistic missile aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts U.S. Forces. In Dubai, several blasts were heard, and passengers at Dubai International Airport were directed into train tunnels.
U.S. Allies in the Gulf have expressed concerns that the Trump administration did not provide sufficient time to prepare for the war.
