Explosions rock Iran's capital, and more attacks target Israel as US
warns bombing will intensify
[March 07, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, SAM METZ and SALLY ABOU
ALJOUD
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Explosions sent up clouds of dark
smoke in the Iranian capital city early Saturday, and Tehran retaliated
by firing missiles at Israel as the United States warned of a
forthcoming bombing campaign that officials said would be the most
intense yet in the weeklong conflict.
There was no foreseeable end to the fighting. U.S. President Donald
Trump's administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel
after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without its
“unconditional surrender.” Iran's U.N. ambassador said the country would
“take all necessary measures” to defend itself.
Associated Press video showed explosions flashing and smoke rising over
western Tehran as Israel said it had begun a broad wave of strikes. Also
early Saturday, loud booms sounded in Jerusalem and incoming missiles
from Iran had people heading to bomb shelters across Israel.
There were no immediate reports of casualties by Israel’s emergency
services.
In a sign of the widening nature of the conflict, sirens sounded early
Saturday in Bahrain as Iranian attacks targeted the island kingdom. And
Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones headed toward its vast Shaybah oil
field and shot down a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan
Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces.
The U.S. and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting its
military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. The stated goals
and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the U.S. has at
times suggested it seeks to topple Iran’s government or elevate new
leadership from within.
Meanwhile, Russia has provided Iran with information that could help
Tehran strike the U.S. military, according to two officials familiar
with U.S. intelligence on the matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin
had a call Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing
his condolences over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, the Kremlin said.
In other developments, evidence emerged suggesting that an explosion
that killed scores of Iranian students at a school was likely caused by
U.S. airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with the
regime’s Revolutionary Guard.
Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, warned in an interview with the
Financial Times that the war could “bring down the economies of the
world,” predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that
could send oil to $150 a barrel.
The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose above $90 on Friday
for the first time in more than two years.
Russia is providing information to Iran, officials say
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike
American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to
two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.
The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the
condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not
uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the
information.
Still, it’s the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved
in the war.
Trump says US will help rebuild Iran once it has ‘ACCEPTABLE’ leaders
In a social media post Friday, Trump said “There will be no deal with
Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" After a surrender, “and the
selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s),” he wrote, the U.S. and its
allies will help rebuild Iran, making it “economically bigger, better,
and stronger than ever before.”
Those comments were likely to raise further questions about the endgame
of the war. The fighting has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more
than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials
in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.
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Shiite Muslims shout slogans as they burn effigies of President
Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a
protest against the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, in Budgam, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled
Kashmir, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that “some
countries” had begun mediation efforts, without elaborating.
Trump has also told media outlets that he should be involved in
choosing a replacement for Khamenei, who was killed in the opening
strikes of the war. Trump spoke dismissively of Khamenei’s son,
Mojtaba Khamenei — a front-runner to replace his father — calling
him “a lightweight.”
Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, condemned Trump's
statement and said Iran "does not accept and will never allow any
foreign power to interfere in its internal affairs.”
Iranian state television reported Friday that a leadership council
had started discussing how to convene the country’s Assembly of
Experts, which will select the new supreme leader.
U.S. official warns that ‘biggest bombing’ is coming
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview
that the “biggest bombing campaign” of the war was still to come.
Israel has said that over the past week it has heavily bombed an
extensive underground bunker that Iranian leaders had planned to use
during the hostilities.
New information surfaced suggesting that a deadly Feb. 28 explosion
at a school in the Iranian city of Minab, some 1,100 kilometers (680
miles) southeast of Tehran, was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes.
The information included satellite images, expert analysis, a U.S.
official and public information released by U.S. and Israeli
military forces.
Iranian state media has said more than 165 people were killed in the
blast, most of them of children.
Iran has blamed Israel and the U.S. for the explosion. Neither
country has accepted responsibility, though Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth has said the U.S. is investigating.
Fighting with Israeli troops reported in eastern Lebanon
The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters
clashed with an Israeli force that landed late Friday in the
mountains of eastern Lebanon. The Lebanese Health Ministry said at
least three people were killed.
Israel did not acknowledge the fighting, and its military did not
immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes on the southern suburbs
of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a large presence but which is also
home to hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 217 people have been killed
by Israeli strikes since Monday and 798 wounded.
Roads in the Lebanese capital were choked with evacuating traffic as
smoke rose over the city’s southern districts. Two hospitals
evacuated patients and staff.
“What can we do? We prayed here under the tree. During the night, we
slept in the car because there is no place to stay,” Jihan Shehadeh,
one of the tens of thousands of displaced, said.
___
Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, Rising from Bangkok and Abou
AlJoud from Beirut. Associated Press journalists around the world
contributed.
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