Gulf attacks continue as Iran says Trump 'killed' de‑escalation chance

Six U.S. service members were returned to American soil Saturday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware following a drone strike on a U.S. tactical operations center in Kuwait.

The fallen, members of an Army Reserve logistics unit, ranged in age from 20 to 54. All service members were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), an Army Reserve logistics unit based in Des Moines, Iowa.

U.S. President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer ceremony, a solemn military ritual in which flag-draped cases are escorted from aircraft to awaiting vehicles.

This marks the first known return of casualties from the ongoing Middle East conflict.

President Trump salutes as US Army Reserve Sgt Declan Coady 20 killed in a drone strike in Kuwait is returned during a casualty transfer at Dover Air Force Base on March 7 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticised British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the United Kingdom’s military support in the Middle East.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "The United Kingdom, our once great ally, maybe the greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East."

"That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — but we will remember."

He added that the U.S. does not "need people that join wars after we’ve already won them."

The Prime Minister and his government have faced criticism for allegedly failing to act quickly enough to protect Cyprus from enemy drones and missiles.

Sir Keir Starmer, however, rejected claims that the UK was unprepared for the Gulf conflict. He said the country had been pre-deploying military assets to the region earlier this year in coordination with the U.S. and other allies.

After the UK agreed to let the U.S. use RAF Fairford and the Diego Garcia base for defensive operations related to the Iran conflict, the first four U.S. Air Force B‑1B Lancer bombers arrived in the United Kingdom.

A United States Air Force B1-B Lancer Bomber lands at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, Saturday March 7, 2026. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Saturday evening address that Israel and the United States had nearly gained full control of Iranian airspace.

He said the military operations were carried out in coordination with Washington and with the understanding of U.S. President Donald Trump about the scale of the threat posed by Iran to Israel and the wider international community.

"There was a risk that Iran would attack American targets in the region and Israel first, and for this reason, we decided to act first," Netanyahu said.

He added that Israel had become a regional power, saying the shift required "courage, initiative, and taking risks." Netanyahu noted that this had been a key objective of his government since Hamas carried out the October 7 massacre.

"As I promised two days after October 7, we are changing the face of the Middle East. But it's not only the face of the Middle East, its also ourselves. Our initiative and surprising actions are dramatically changing the balance of power between our enemy and us," he said.

Shortly before the statement was issued, Israel announced a fresh round of strikes on Tehran.

Netanyahu directly targeted members of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warning, "You are in the crosshairs."

He said the military operation with the U.S. will "create the conditions that will allow the Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands," and urged Iranians to rise up.

AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg

Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Saturday condemned an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, describing it as a "terrorist act" carried out by "rogue groups."

He said he had ordered military and security forces to track down those responsible.

Earlier, Iraqi security officials said a missile landed on a helicopter landing pad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. No casualties were reported.

An embassy spokesperson declined to comment, and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad, Iraq on Jan. 20, 2026. (Photo via US State Department)

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country’s willingness to de‑escalate has been "almost immediately killed" by US President Donald Trump, accusing him of misreading Iran’s capabilities, resolve and intent.

In a statement responding to Trump’s remarks earlier today, Araghchi said the misinterpretation has undermined Tehran’s efforts to reduce tensions in the region.

Araghchi warned U.S. President Donald Trump that any attempt at escalation "is precisely what our powerful armed forces have long been prepared for."

He added, "Responsibility for any intensification of Iran’s exercise of self-defence will lie squarely with the US administration."

The comments follow earlier remarks by Iran’s president, who said Tehran would not target neighbouring Gulf states "unless attacked first."

Top hard-line Iranian officials have publicly questioned President Pezeshkian’s suggestion that Iran might curb attacks on regional countries.

Iran’s influential judiciary chief said on Saturday that Tehran’s war strategy will not change, warning that attacks will continue. "The geography of some countries in the region—both overtly and covertly—is in the hands of the enemy, and those points are used against our country in acts of aggression. Intense attacks on these targets will continue," Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei wrote on X.

FILE – In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center, heads to the venue for talks between Iran and the U.S. in Muscat, Oman, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)

A Dubai resident was killed when debris from an "aerial interception" struck a vehicle, the Dubai Media Office reported.

During the interception, debris caused an incident at a residential building in Dubai Marina, the government reported.

Footage shows smoke rising from one of the upper floors of the high-rise. Shortly afterward, authorities said a car had also been hit by debris.

This raises the total number of fatalities in the UAE since the start of the war to four, all of whom authorities say were foreign nationals.

Residents across Dubai have reported extremely loud explosions and booms. Officials say these sounds are from air‑defence intercepts, when defensive missiles destroy incoming threats high in the sky, creating powerful sonic booms that can be heard across the city.

There are reports of fighter jets flying overhead at low altitude.

Around Dubai International Airport and other key transport hubs, roads and entrances have been temporarily blocked by authorities for safety after interception operations and precautionary security measures.

23 Marina, a prominent 88-story residential and hotel skyscraper in the Dubai Marina district, was hit by debris from a successfully intercepted projectile.

Video: Euronews

Leaders across the Middle East and beyond have engaged in a series of high-level diplomatic talks today in response to escalating military operations linked to Iran. The diplomatic activity comes as tensions rise across the Gulf and neighboring regions, prompting urgent international coordination.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with a number of global leaders, including the presidents of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Philippines, Paraguay, and Tonga, as well as foreign ministers from France, Italy, New Zealand, Guyana, Azerbaijan, and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held phone calls with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Cyprus’ leadership to coordinate responses and reinforce regional security measures.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also participated in talks with his counterparts from the UAE and Malaysia, emphasizing the importance of de-escalation and diplomatic engagement. Russian President Vladimir Putin added to the diplomatic push by urging an immediate halt to hostilities in a call with Iranian officials, according to Reuters.

Looking ahead, additional diplomatic engagements are planned in the coming days. The Arab League has scheduled an emergency video conference on Sunday to discuss Iranian attacks and regional security.

EU leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, are set to meet Middle Eastern leaders via video conference on Monday. China has also announced that its special envoy will travel to the region in the coming days to facilitate de-escalation efforts.

An Iraqi Shiite cleric holds a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Tehran, during a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 6, 2026.

The Trump administration has declared an emergency and bypassed Congress to immediately sell 12,000 bombs to Israel amid ongoing military operations against Iran.

According to a notice from the U.S. State Department, Israel requested to purchase "twelve thousand (12,000) BLU-110A/B general purpose, 1,000-pound bomb bodies," worth more than $151 million.

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements," the notice says.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks while President Donald Trump, left, listens during the Shield of the Americas Summit, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Euronews journalist Lilly Douse had to seek shelter at Dubai Airport following an Iranian drone attack nearby.

Massive intercept explosions continue in Dubai as air defenses respond to incoming threats, according to our reporter.

The U.S. military has deployed additional long-range bombers to the United Kingdom.

The U.K. Ministry of Defence confirmed in the afternoon that the U.S. is using British bases for "specific defensive operations" related to the Iran conflict.

At the start of the war, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had rejected any British involvement and initially denied the U.S. use of British military bases. However, one day after the conflict began, Starmer announced that he had approved a U.S. request to use U.K. bases for a "special and limited defensive purpose."

This photo, released by the U.S. Air National Guard, shows a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, a long-range strategic bomber. (Staff Sgt. Whitney Erhart/U.S. Air National Guard via AP)

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, issued a pointed warning to Iran, saying his country is "not easy prey" and referring to Tehran as an "enemy," marking a notable shift from the UAE’s usual diplomatic tone toward its Gulf neighbour.

In unusually direct public remarks, he said he "wanted to send a message to the enemy of the UAE."

"The UAE is beautiful, the UAE is a model to be followed, but I tell you, do not be deceived by that" he said while visiting a hospital treating civilians injured in the strikes.

"The UAE’s hand can reach and is strong, its flesh is bitter, and we are not easy prey."

These comments, his first since the outbreak of the conflict, came shortly after Emirati air defenses responded to a missile threat, despite earlier statements from Iran’s president suggesting Gulf strikes would pause.

(Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has struck the "central air defence command centre" of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force in the heart of Tehran.

According to the Israeli military, the operation targeted air defence systems, headquarters, warehouses and other facilities located near the command centre.

It added that forces also hit a site used for the production and launch of ballistic missiles, which it said included warehouses storing combat equipment belonging to the Quds Force (a specialized unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responsible for missions outside Iran’s borders).