International Desk, Mar 9 (EFE).- Iranians Monday closed ranks around the appointment of Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the new supreme leader, in a show of defiance toward the United States, as the war intensifies, pushing oil prices above $100 per barrel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced new waves of attacks on targets in central Iran and on infrastructure linked to the Shiite group Hezbollah in Beirut. Bahrain also reported 32 people injured in an Iranian drone strike amid escalating attacks across the Persian Gulf.
Here is the latest on the conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, the US and Israel.
“New era of honor and authority” in Iran
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian congratulated the new supreme leader on Monday, saying the appointment of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son marks “a new era of honor and authority” for the Islamic Republic.
The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, elected him to succeed his father, who was assassinated during the ongoing war.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and other political, parliamentary, and military authorities pledged their allegiance to the new leader, in apparent defiance of Washington.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump warned that the new supreme leader “won’t last long” if he does not gain his administration’s approval.
Israeli attacks on Iran and Lebanon
The Israeli military said Monday it had launched a new wave of strikes targeting infrastructure controlled by Hezbollah in Beirut and facilities linked to the Iranian government in central Iran.
The offensive came hours after earlier attacks in which Israeli forces said they bombed the headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force, from where ballistic missile and drone operations are coordinated.
32 injured in Bahrain
Bahrain’s Ministry of Health reported that 32 people were injured, four of them seriously, after an Iranian drone struck the city of Sitra, according to the state news agency BNA.
All those injured, including a two-month-old baby and two children aged 7 and 8, are Bahraini citizens.
The Bahraini Interior Ministry said Sunday that Iranian attacks had also targeted a facility near Mina Salman, a port that hosts a US naval base close to Sitra.
Since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran has responded with drone and missile strikes on several Gulf countries hosting US military facilities.
Chinese envoy in Saudi Arabia
China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, condemned “any attack against innocent civilians and non-military targets” during a visit to Saudi Arabia, which has been affected by Iran’s counteroffensive, according to China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday.
This is the first update released by Beijing about the envoy’s regional tour, which was announced last week without details.
China, Iran’s main strategic partner, mediated the restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh in 2023.
Another US soldier dies
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday that a soldier had died in Kuwait, bringing the total number of American military personnel killed since the start of the conflict to eight.
According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, at least 1,332 people have died in Iran.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reports 394 deaths there, while Israeli authorities say 10 people have been killed by Iranian missile strikes so far.
Oil surpasses $100 per barrel
The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude surpassed $100 per barrel on Sunday for the first time since 2022. US President Donald Trump said the spike was “a small price” to pay amid the conflict.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose above $105 per barrel. Analysts say the surge reflects growing fears about instability in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil supply passes and which Iran has threatened to disrupt.
Asian markets fall
Major Asian stock markets opened sharply lower on Monday, with the region heavily exposed to the energy shock caused by tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
Tokyo’s Nikkei index fell nearly 7% by the mid-session break, while South Korea’s Kospi recorded a similar drop.
Stock markets in China and Hong Kong also declined by nearly 3%, alongside exchanges across Southeast Asia that rely heavily on Middle Eastern crude shipments. India’s major indices were also down more than 2 percent. EFE
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