Iranian projectiles continue to hit Gulf states

Gulf states reported further damage to infrastructure over the weekend as Iran continued to attack regional allies in retaliation for ongoing attacks by US and Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that a new leader had been appointed to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first salvos of the war.

The United Arab Emirates said it was “dealing with the threat of missiles and drones from Iran.”

“The UAE’s air defense is currently responding to the threat of missiles and drones from Iran,” the country’s defense ministry said in a statement post on X

It said its defenses intercepted ballistic missiles while fighter jets fought drones and “loitering munitions.”

Alarms sounded across Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening, warning residents to “immediately move to a safe location” because of the missile threat, and the CNBC team confirmed hearing a loud explosion.

A high-rise building in Dubai’s Marina area, 23 Marina, was hit by falling debris. After According to the Dubai media office, no one was injured except the authorities confirmed that “debris from an airstrike fell on a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, resulting in the death of a Pakistani driver.”

Also on Saturday, passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport were ushered into train tunnels. Iran said it attacked an air base in the United Arab Emirates.

Since the war began on February 28, Iran has targeted several radar and air defense installations in the Middle East – in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks. The Wall Street Journal reportedciting U.S. officials, military analysts and commercially available satellite images.

Bahrain said on Sunday that a drone strike had hit a water desalination plant.

“Iranian aggression indiscriminately attacked civilian targets and caused material damage to a water desalination plant following a drone attack,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a statement post on X

In a statement to CNBC, Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority said that “the Iranian attack on a water desalination plant had no impact on water supplies or water network capacity.”

The country also said “blatant Iranian aggression” damaged a university building in the Muharraq area and injured three people when rocket fragments fell.

Elsewhere, Kuwait said there were two fuel depots there International airport were hit by drones, resulting in a “big fire in one of them.” The country’s public social security agency said its headquarters had been attacked, resulting in “material damage” to the building.

Meanwhile, Israeli and US attacks on Iran continued throughout the weekend.

Israel said it hit several Iranian Revolutionary Guard fuel storage complexes. “The attack significantly worsens the damage to the military infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a report post on X

The IDF said so too attacked “Key commanders of the IRGC’s Lebanon Corps Quds Force operating in Beirut.”

Iran’s Mehr News Agency quoted Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Alam al-Huda as saying that elections were held on Sunday to replace Khamenei and that a new leader had been appointed. It didn’t give a name.

“All rumors and news that claim that the Assembly of Experts has not yet made a decision are pure lies,” al-Huda was quoted as saying.

Iranian state media reported on Saturday that two influential Iranian clerics had called for the rapid election of a new supreme leader

One of the clerics, Naser Makarem ‌Shirazi, a grand ayatollah who has a wide following for his religious decisions, said an appointment was needed quickly to “contribute to the better organization of the country’s affairs,” state media reported.

The calls suggest that at least some members of the clerical establishment are uncomfortable with allowing a three-member council to take over – even temporarily – in accordance with constitutional rules following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday it would “pursue any successor and any person who wishes to appoint a successor.”

“We warn anyone who intends to attend the follow-up meeting that we will not hesitate to target you either. This is a warning!” the IDF said in one post in Farsi

Trump has argued the U.S. should play a role in choosing the new leader, a demand Iran has rejected.