In brief:
- The Middle East conflict is escalating with attacks and threats between Iran and the United States.
- Former President Trump declared Iran “completely defeated” and rejected any unsatisfactory agreement.
- The U.S. Embassy in Iraq was attacked by a drone, increasing tensions in the region.
- Iran has threatened ports in the United Arab Emirates, calling for civilian evacuations.
> 11:48 AM: The war enters its “decisive phase”
The Israeli-American war against Iran “is intensifying and entering a decisive phase that will continue as long as necessary,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated Saturday.
“We are entering the decisive phase of the conflict, between the attempts of the regime (Iranian) to survive, while inflicting increasing suffering on the Iranian people, and its capitulation,” Katz said in a televised address to the media.
> 10:59 AM: Macron calls for “direct discussions” between Israel and Lebanon, offers to host talks in Paris
“Everything must be done to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos. Hezbollah must immediately stop its escalation, and Israel must refrain from a large-scale offensive and cease its massive strikes, while hundreds of thousands of people have already fled the bombardments,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X, reporting that he spoke Friday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
> 10:46 AM: Iranian armed forces call on residents of the UAE to stay away from ports
Iranian armed forces warned Saturday that they consider the ports of the United Arab Emirates to be legitimate targets and called on residents to evacuate, on the 15th day of the war triggered by Israel and the United States.
“We inform the Emirati rulers that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate right to defend its national sovereignty and territory by striking enemy American missiles located in the ports, docks, and hideouts of the American army” in the UAE, Khatam al-Anbiya Inter-Command Center said in a statement. The statement, broadcast on state television, calls on the population to “evacuate” these areas.
> 10:39 AM: Smoke rises from oil installation in the United Arab Emirates (AFP journalist)
> 9:49 AM: At least 56 museums and historical sites damaged in Iran by the war
The Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism reported Saturday that at least 56 museums and historical sites across Iran have been damaged on the 15th day of the war against Israel and the United States.
In Tehran, the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was damaged in the early days of the Israeli-American strikes.
> 6:48 AM: No oil infrastructure damaged at Kharg
No oil infrastructure was damaged on the strategic island of Kharg, a key Iranian oil hub located in the Gulf, according to the Fars news agency. U.S. Strikes targeted military sites there Friday, which former President Trump claims were “completely destroyed.”
The American president threatened to “annihilate” the island’s oil infrastructure, which hosts Iran’s largest crude oil export terminal. The Iranian military responded by threatening to “reduce to ashes” infrastructure linked to the United States in the event of an attack on the island, located approximately 20 miles off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf.
> 6:41 AM: Hamas calls on Iran
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas called on Iran Saturday to stop targeting countries in the Gulf in retaliation for the American-Israeli attacks it is facing.
“While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means, in accordance with standards and international law, the movement calls on its brothers in Iran not to target neighboring countries,” Hamas wrote on Telegram.
> 6:08 AM: Evacuation request in Tabriz, Iran
The Israeli army requested Saturday that residents of an industrial area in western Tabriz, northern Iran, evacuate in anticipation of military operations “in the coming hours.”
“For your safety and health, we question you to exit the area immediately,” the Israeli army wrote on the social network X, including a map. This warning likely went unheeded, as internet access has been cut off in Iran for two weeks.
> 5:10 AM: Iran “completely defeated” according to Trump
The American president declared that Iran “is completely defeated and wants a deal.”
“The media spreading fake news hates to report the excellent results achieved by the American military against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants to make a deal – but not a deal that I would accept!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, without further details.
> 4:56 AM: U.S. Embassy in Iraq targeted
A drone attack targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad early Saturday morning, a high-ranking Iraqi security official said, with an AFP journalist witnessing black smoke rising above the diplomatic complex in the heart of the capital.
The attack comes after a series of strikes targeting a pro-Iranian armed group Saturday morning, resulting in two deaths, according to security sources. Loud explosions were heard repeatedly in the city by AFP journalists.
