What is going on on the ninth day of US-Israeli attacks in the Iran War?
For the first time, the US and Israel are attacking Iran's refinery and oil storage infrastructure.
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On March 7, 2026, after strikes on Azadi Tower near Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, an explosion occurs.
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As the battle has expanded to include the Gulf region, Lebanon, and Iraq, the United States and Israel are still carrying out extensive assaults on Iran, including an attack on an oil storage on Saturday.
Despite Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's Saturday pledge to stop attacks on Gulf states as long as their territories were not used to attack Iran, Iran has maintained its retaliatory strikes on Israel and US military assets in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, claiming the US will pay for waging war.
As of day nine of the war, the situation is as follows:
In Iran - Military assaults and an increase in casualties: The United States and Israel have persisted in widespread attacks on Iran, including the first-ever raids against the nation's refining and oil storage facilities. Local media recorded footage of a huge fire that was blazing at the Shehran oil depot, which is located outside of Tehran, late on Saturday. The Israeli military took credit for attacking gasoline storage facilities and associated locations that it claims are connected to the Iranian military. Since the US and Israel began their attacks on February 28, at least 1,332 people have died.
- US demands: President Donald Trump persisted in calling for Iran to "unconditionally submit." He said late on Saturday that the conflict would go "a little longer," but he emphasized that Washington had no intention of "settling with Tehran."
- Maritime movements and threats: The Strait of Hormuz is still open, according to the Iranian military, but it made it clear that any US or Israeli ships trying to cross will be targeted. When reporters questioned Trump on Saturday about the absence of movement across the strait, he claimed that Washington had "wiped out" Iran's fleet and blamed the ships' decision.
- Relations with neighbors: President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Tehran's desire for cordial ties with its friendly neighbors, claiming that the enemy is attempting to sow discord. According to state TV on Sunday, Pezeshkian said that his comments were "misinterpreted by the enemy that attempts to foment division with neighbors." His remarks coincided with reports of Iranian drone strikes in the Gulf.
- Iran’s new leadership: Ayatollah Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, implied that a choice on the replacement of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's deceased supreme leader, was imminent. Mirbagheri stated that "a decisive and unified opinion" had been reached and that "huge efforts to identify the leadership" had been made in a video that the Fars news agency shared on Telegram.
- War crimes: According to Human Rights Watch, the attack on a southern Iranian primary school that claimed the lives of at least 160 people—many of them students—should be looked into as a war crime. The New York Times stated that the strike might have been executed by the United States, but Al Jazeera's investigation concluded that the school's targeting was probably "intentional."
- Intelligence report: According to The Washington Post, the US National Intelligence Council concluded that a "large-scale" US-led attack on Iran was unlikely to overthrow the nation's leadership. Additionally, the research stated that it was "unlikely" that Iran's divided opposition would seize power.
- Oil trade: With the Strait of Hormuz practically closed, oil prices have reached multiyear highs due to the war's disruption of international markets. The price of Brent crude oil increased by 27% in just one week of the conflict, the largest weekly increase since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
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