Strikes target civilian, energy sites despite Tehran's apology
Iran prepares to unveil new leader as Gulf states fend off fresh drone assaults
By CUI HAIPEI in Dubai, UAE and JAN YUMUL in Hong Kong | China Daily Global | Updated: 2026-03-09 09:18
The United States and Israel continued their attacks against Iran on Saturday, with a massive fire raging at the Shahran oil depot on the outskirts of Tehran following an Israeli attack at night.
Meanwhile, Iran was preparing to reveal its new supreme leader on Sunday. The body tasked with selecting the new leader has reached a decision, though the name has yet to be announced.
"The vote to appoint the leader has taken place and the leader has been chosen," said Ahmad Alamolhoda, a member of the Assembly of Experts, as quoted by Iran's Mehr news agency. He said the secretariat of the body would announce the name later.
The Israeli military has claimed responsibility for striking fuel storage and related sites in Iran that it alleges are affiliated with the armed forces.
Following the incident, Iranian state TV said the attacks on oil depots in Tehran and Alborz provinces led to restrictions on fuel purchases. On Sunday, Iran cut the fuel purchase quota for personal fuel cards in the capital from 30 liters to 20 liters.
Iran's military also reported casualties among US forces and damage to the US infrastructure over the past 24 hours, Mehr reported.
According to Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, 21 personnel were killed and several others wounded from the US Fifth Fleet operating in the region. Around 200 were killed and wounded at the US' Al Dhafra Air Base south of Abu Dhabi.
A tanker vessel owned by the US was targeted in the northern part of the Persian Gulf.
In northern Israel, three drones launched from Lebanon have been downed, The Times of Israel reported. There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
In a video message on Saturday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to Gulf countries affected by Tehran's actions, saying Iran was targeting US assets in the region. In a post on X, he said this "does not negate Iran's inherent right to defend itself against military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime".
