Dubai Mar 10 : Iran hammered Gulf Arab nations with fresh missile and drone strikes Tuesday, piercing UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait skies, while an airstrike wiped out five pro-Iran militants in northern Iraq.
Sirens blared in Dubai and Bahrain at dawn; Saudi forces downed two drones over oil fields, Kuwait’s Guard zapped six more—part of Iran’s barrage also hitting Israel, U.S. bases, and energy sites, tightening its Strait of Hormuz chokehold that carries 20% of global oil.
Brent crude hit $120 Monday before dipping to $90 Tuesday—still up 24% since fighting erupted February 28—spiking U.S. fuel costs as tankers halt and sailors die in merchant ship hits.
President Trump downplayed a prolonged fight as a “short-term excursion,” warning Iran on social media: tamper with Hormuz oil flows, and “we hit you TWENTY TIMES HARDER.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard spokesman shot back: “We decide when it ends.”
Tehran’s top foreign policy aide told CNN they’re braced for the long haul, diplomacy dead unless economics force intervention against “U.S.-Israeli aggression.” Conflict spills: Israel pounds Hezbollah in Lebanon amid missile swaps; Iraq’s pro-Iran militias hit U.S. bases, including Tuesday’s Kirkuk raid killing five from the 40th Brigade.
