Hours after Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, apologised for the attack on “neighbouring countries” – which host major US military bases – the foreign ministry said Tehran would continue its response until what it described as “aggression” stops or the United Nations Security Council fulfils its responsibility by identifying the aggressors, Reuters reported.
Iran further said its defensive operations targeting US military bases and facilities in the region should not be interpreted as hostility towards neighbouring countries.
The statement comes as missile and drone attacks continue to rattle Gulf Arab states. Fresh blasts were reported in Doha and Manama, while the UAE Ministry of Defence said the country’s air defence systems were dealing with missile and drone attacks from Iran.
Mounting a fierce attack on its “enemies,” Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, said the Gulf nation was in a time of war and warned that it was “no easy prey.”
“The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh — we are no easy prey,” Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, said in comments made on Friday while visiting those injured in the strikes. The remarks were aired on Abu Dhabi TV on Saturday.
“We will carry out our duty towards our country, our people and our residents, who are also part of our family,” he said.
Hours earlier, a barrage of missiles and drones disrupted flight operations at Dubai International Airport, struck a major Saudi oil facility and forced residents in Bahrain to seek shelter.
Several hours after Pezeshkian’s apology, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain continued to issue alerts and report intercepting incoming missiles.
Israel-Iran-US conflict
Iran launched retaliatory strikes after the US and Israel jointly attacked the Islamic Republic on Saturday 28, February. Blasts were reported across Abu Dhabi, Doha, Qatar among other key Middle Eastern hubs – which are also home to US military bases.
Fresh military activity in UAE, Saudi
UAE said it intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones as Iran kept up its attacks. “UAE air defence systems detected today, Saturday 7th March 2026, 16 ballistic missiles, of which, 15 were intercepted and destroyed, while one ballistic missile fell into the sea,” the ministry of defence said in a post on X.
“Air defence systems also detected 121 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), of which 119 were intercepted, while two fell within the territory of the UAE.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted four drones targeting the country’s massive Shaybah oil field, marking the second attempted attack within hours, reported AP.
At the same time, Israeli warplanes continued strikes on Beirut and Tehran. The death toll from the escalating conflict kept rising on Saturday, with officials reporting at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, mentioned AP’s report.
Earlier, Gulf allies criticised the Trump administration for failing to notify them of Iran attacks. Officials from two countries reportedly said their governments were disappointed with how the United States handled the early stages of the war, particularly the initial strike on Iran on February 28.
