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Iran war: Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest updates from the US-Israeli war on Iran, now in its ninth day: Israeli air strikes hit Iranian oil storage facilities on Saturday, triggering fires and sending thick black smoke into the sky. Iran’s Red Crescent warned that rainfall could become toxic as a result, urging civilians to avoid going outside during rain and to seek shelter under concrete or metal roofs if caught outdoors. On Sunday morning, Israel threatened to bomb members of the council responsible for appointing a new leader. Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, said “a decisive and unanimous opinion” had been reached regarding the country’s leadership. Iranian officials say more than 1,300 people have been killed since the US-Israeli war began, with thousands more reported wounded. In the Gulf, a drone attack damaged a water desalination plant in Bahrain, according to the interior ministry.

Attacks spark huge fires as they hit four storage facilities and an oil production transfer centre in Tehran and Alborz.

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that Iran seeks friendly relations with neighboring countries but will respond decisively to any aggression against its territory.

Iran Red Crescent warns of toxic rain after US-Israeli attacks on fuel depots Iran’s Red Crescent warned civilians that rainfall could become toxic following fuel tank explosions triggered by US and Israeli strikes on infrastructure.  The agency said contaminated rain could cause chemical burns to the skin and damage to the lungs. In a statement posted on Telegram, the Red Crescent urged people not to go outside during rainfall after explosions and to seek shelter under concrete or metal roofs if caught outdoors. It also advised anyone exposed to the rain to rinse their skin with running cold water and immediately change any soaked clothing.  Smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran, amid the US-Israeli attacks on Iran on 8 March 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA via REUTERS

The US and Israel continue to strike Iran, hitting oil storage depots and refining facilities for the first time.

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – The Navy Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced that it attacked the terrorist US helicopter’s base in Al-Adiri airbase in a combined missile and drone operation.

Israel warns it will target those naming Iran’s next leader The Israeli military said it would pursue anyone involved in appointing a successor to Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a Reuters report. The warning came after Iranian clerics said efforts to select a new leader were nearing completion. Ayatollah Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, said “a decisive and unanimous opinion” had been reached on the country’s leadership.  Smoke rises following an explosion, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, on 7 March 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA via REUTERS

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Intelligence Organization has issued a stern warning to the Israeli regime’s pilots participating in the joint US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.

Israel says it targeted key commanders of Iran's elite Quds Force of the IRGC but did not name them.

Video: Iranian attack drone hitting radar tower at US base in Gulf Footage filmed by US soldiers appears to show an Iranian attack drone flying directly into a radar tower at a US military base in the Gulf during the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran. The video shows the service members recording and waiting for the attack as the drone hits the base of the radar structure, triggering an explosion and a cloud of smoke as troops react in the background. The exact location of the base has not been officially confirmed, though it is widely believed to be Ali Al Salem Air Base, a major US-operated facility in Kuwait. Footage filmed by US soldiers appears to show an Iranian attack drone flying directly into a radar tower at a US military base in the Gulf during the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran. pic.twitter.com/o8mUiBOZhb March 8, 2026

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – Addressing US President Donald Trump, Iranian Parliament Speaker has said that you [US and Israel] started the war and Islamic Republic of Iran will end it.

Israel says it destroyed Iranian fighter jets in Isfahan airport attack The Israeli military said its forces carried out air attacks on an airport in Iran’s Isfahan on Saturday, destroying a number of F-14 fighter jets. “Additionally, detection systems and air defence systems that posed a threat to Israeli Air Force aircraft were struck,” the statement published on Telegram said. “This strike is in addition to the strike which dismantled 16 ‘Quds Force’ aircraft two days ago [Friday] at the Mehrabad airport in Tehran,” it added.

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has announced that Iran considers neighboring countries its friends and warned that aggressors would face a severe response.

Iranian attack damages water desalination plant in Bahrain, ministry says Bahrain's interior ministry said on Sunday an Iranian drone attack had damaged a water desalination plant as the Islamic Republic presses an air campaign against its Gulf neighbours, AFP reported.  "The Iranian aggression randomly bombs civilian targets and causes material damage to a water desalination plant following an attack by a drone," the ministry said in a statement.

Pezeshkian: Iran will respond with strength to attacks Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will respond forcefully to any attacks on its territory but stressed that Tehran seeks good relations with neighbouring countries. Speaking during a visit to wounded victims at a hospital, Pezeshkian said earlier remarks about limiting strikes had been misinterpreted. He said Iran may respond to attacks originating from other countries’ territory, but that such actions do not mean Tehran is in conflict with those states. Pezeshkian also said Iranians would remain united and vowed the country would not allow anyone to seize “even an inch” of its territory.

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – The spokesman for the IRGC has said that the powerful armed forces of the country are fully prepared for a large-scale war with the US and Israeli regime’s aggressors for a period of six months.

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – The spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has warned the Republic of Azerbaijan to prevent expansion of any insecurity in the region, urging them to expel Zionists from Azerbaijan.

Video: Drone strike sets Kuwait social security headquarters ablaze A drone reportedly launched by Iran set fire to the main headquarters of Kuwait’s Public Institution for Social Security, with the multi-storey building seen ablaze as emergency crews fought to contain the flames. It comes during a continuing escalation of the US‑Israel war on Iran that has seen Tehran target military and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf. A drone reportedly launched by Iran set fire to the main headquarters of Kuwait’s Public Institution for Social Security, with the multi‑storey building seen ablaze as emergency crews fought to contain the flames. pic.twitter.com/yznFpk1YIy March 8, 2026

Israel says it has launched attacks targeting Iranian infrastructure Israel’s military on Sunday said it has launched another wave of attacks targeting Iranian infrastructure across the country. The announcement came as explosions were reported in several areas of Iran, including the capital Tehran. The attacks are part of the ongoing war that began after coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, triggering missile and drone retaliation from Tehran across the region.

TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) – The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has said that the noble nation of Iran thwarted plots and conspiracies orchestrated by the United States against the country in the current war.