The US-Israeli conflict enters day 7 with , with military operations continuing with no signs of abatement and political standoff escalating alongside strikes on the ground.
The US president, , states that , while Tehran appears ready even for a ground invasion.
At the same time, the UAE issued a nationwide emergency alert, while Azerbaijan closed part of its southern airspace near the border with Iran for 12 hours after reports that Iranian drones had entered its territory.
Trump: I want to have a say on Iran’s new supreme leader
Donald Trump has said he wants to have a role in the process of choosing the next supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. In his statements to Axios, he called the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s son an “unacceptable choice”, whom he called “politically insignificant”.
The statements reignite the debate over whether the US and Israel are simply seeking policy change in Tehran or total regime change.
At the same time, the American president to move militarily against Iran. In a telephone interview with Reuters, he said he would support such an action.
“I think it’s great that they want to do it. I would fully support it,” he said, opening a new front in Washington’s rhetoric.
Tehran for land invasion: “We are waiting for them”
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said his country was prepared for a possible US ground invasion.
In an interview with NBC News, he argued that American operations have not achieved their goals and that the Iranian military command has already been reorganized. “The commanders have been replaced and everything is working as usual,” he said.
He also stressed that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire or negotiations with Washington, stressing that Tehran’s attacks target US military installations in the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi:
We are not asking for a ceasefire, and we don’t see any reason why we should negotiate with the U.S.
We have never sent any messages to them.
— Clash Report (@clashreport)
Attack on oil infrastructure facilities in Bahrain
Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior announced that one of its facilities in an industrial zone where an oil refinery is located was attacked.
🚨 Iran’s ballistic missile slammed into Bahrain’s Bapco refinery in Sitra/Maameer- 380K bpd capacity, key hub for Gulf crude processing & exports (diesel, jet fuel).
— The Alternate Media (@AlternateMediaX)
Thousands of people are crossing the border from Lebanon to Syria
As Israeli bombing of Lebanon intensifies, the humanitarian crisis worsens.
In recent days, thousands of people have been crossing the border from Lebanon into Syria. The vast majority of them are Syrians.
Expansion of tension in the Caucasus
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry accused Iran of launching a drone attack on the autonomous territory of Nakhchivan.
According to authorities, one drone crashed near the area’s airport and a second near a school, injuring two civilians.
JUST IN: 🇮🇷🇦🇿 Iran strikes Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan International Airport.
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo)
The Straits of Hormuz is a war zone
The Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman were today designated by the shipping sector as a “war zone,” giving thousands of seafarers stranded in the area the right to seek repatriation at the expense of shipowners, an unprecedented security and logistical challenge.
At the same time, traffic in the Straits of Hormuz has dropped to almost zero, according to ship tracking platforms.
This development poses risks to the food supply of more than 50 million inhabitants of the Gulf countries, which import more than 90% of the agricultural products they consume.
Impact on markets and international reactions
The conflict is also beginning to affect international markets, with major US stock indexes falling and oil prices rising to their highest levels in years.
At the same time, European countries are sending military support to protect allied interests in the region, but maintaining a defensive posture as the war appears to be expanding beyond the Middle East.
Repatriation of Greeks from the Middle East
In the meantime, 91 Greek citizens were repatriated from Abu Dhabi by Air Force C-130 transport aircraft, which landed at Elefsina military airport.
The repatriation flights are part of efforts to evacuate civilians from the wider region, as airlines and governments organize emergency transfers for passengers stranded in the Middle East.
Cyprus: 512 repatriated in the last 24 hours
512 have returned to Cyprus in the last 24 hours, of which 488 are from the UAE, announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Konstantinos Kombos.
It said a flight from the United Arab Emirates landed today Thursday with 162 people on board, and another flight from the same destination with 144 will land later Thursday, bringing the total number of repatriates to 512 in the past 24 hours.
According to the Minister, the further planning includes 2 flights on Friday and possibly another one the following day if needed.
New flight cancellations from Aegean
In additional cancellations of flights to and from the airports of Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, due to the ongoing developments in the Middle East, AEGEAN is proceeding.
In particular:
- Flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil and Baghdad are canceled until the early hours of March 13, 2026
- Flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi are canceled until the evening hours of 12 March 2026
- Flights to and from Riyadh are canceled until the early hours of March 9, 2026
