As the US-Israel war on Iran continued on its 11th day on Tuesday, March 10, the conflict showed no sign of narrowing but only widening. Iran struck an oil and gas refinery in Haifa with drones, Israeli warplanes continued to pound Lebanon, and the death toll climbed with no ceasefire in sight.
From Baghdad to Bahrain and beyond, the world was visibly bracing for a long haul.
Iran’s army said it launched a drone attack targeting an oil and gas refinery and fuel tanks in Israel’s northern port city of Haifa, according to Tasnim news agency.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking during a visit to the National Health Command Centre on Monday night, March 9, said, “Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones. And we are not done yet.”
US President Donald Trump, addressing congressional Republicans in Washington on Monday, March 9, claimed the US Navy has sunk 46 “top-of-the-line” Iranian naval vessels.
Trump recalled asking a military official why the ships were being sunk rather than captured and put to use. The official, according to Trump, said, “It’s more fun to sink them.”
Iran, for its part, is not sitting still. State broadcaster IRIB quoted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as saying it would grant unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz to any Arab or European country willing to sever diplomatic ties with the US and Israel and expel their ambassadors.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham came out swinging against Washington’s Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for staying on the sidelines of the US-Israel war on Iran. “To our Arab friends, I’ve tried to help you construct a new Middle East. You need to up your game here,” he said on Fox News.
Graham also turned his fire on Spain, which has refused to allow the US to use jointly operated military bases on its soil for operations against Iran.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani drew a firm line with US Secretary of State Rubio, making clear that Iraq would not serve as a staging ground for any attacks in the region.
“Prime Minister Al-Sudani highlighted the importance of ensuring that Iraqi airspace, territory, and waters are not used for any military action targeting neighbouring countries,” the Iraqi PMO said in a statement, adding that Iraq remains committed to “rejecting any attempt to drag the country into ongoing conflicts.”
Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, left little doubt about Tehran’s state of mind in an exclusive interview with CNN. He said Iran is braced for a prolonged war and ruled out any diplomatic opening for now.
“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore,” Kharazi said, adding that only sustained economic pressure, enough to force third-country intervention, could bring the fighting to an end.
This was reiterated by Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also rejected the idea that an end to the war could come through negotiations with the US and Israel. “We are definitely not looking for a ceasefire. We believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that it learns a lesson [and] will never think of attacking our beloved Iran again,” he wrote in a post on X.
A drone attack struck the UAE Consulate in Iraq’s Kurdistan region early Tuesday, March 10, causing material damage. There were no casualties. The IRGC separately claimed it had hit the US army headquarters at Harir Air Base in Erbil.
The attacks were not confined to Iraq. Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said it had shot down drones over the kingdom’s oil-rich eastern region. Kuwait’s National Guard reported intercepting drones in both the country’s northern and southern zones.
The UAE Consulate in Iraq’s Kurdistan region was targeted by a drone attack early on Tuesday, resulting in material damage and no injuries.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the country would deploy a long-range reconnaissance aircraft and supply air-to-air missiles to Gulf states to help defend against Iranian strikes, for a period of four weeks.
All Gulf Air flights remain temporarily suspended as closure of Bahrain airspace continues, the airline announced on Tuesday. “Services will resume once BCAA confirms safe reopening,” it said.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced austerity measures in response to the global oil crisis triggered by the conflict.
From Monday night, all government offices shifted to a four-day work week. Schools and colleges have been shut for two weeks, while universities have moved to online learning, according to Dawn.
Azerbaijan dispatched 10 tonnes of flour, rice, sugar, water, tea and medical supplies to Iran, even as relations between the two countries remain strained.
Last week, Baku accused Tehran of firing drones at its Nakhchivan exclave, which Iran denies. Azerbaijan also maintains deepening military and economic ties with Israel, making the aid gesture an unusual one, to say the least.
Iran’s judiciary warned local news outlets to fall in line on their war coverage. Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir, quoted by state-run IRNA, said outlets that had taken photographs or video of “certain places solely for the purpose of informing” had been cautioned.
“If this happens again, the necessary legal measures will be taken,” he said, offering no further details.
Iran has already cut off internet access during the war, a move widely seen as an attempt to control what information reaches the outside world about what has actually been hit.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry confirmed Tuesday that a Patriot missile defence system is being deployed in Malatya province, home to a NATO radar installation.
The move follows NATO forces intercepting a second Iranian ballistic missile that entered Turkish airspace on Monday.
This post was last modified on March 10, 2026 7:12 pm