09/03/2026 – 16:53 GMT+1
Iran’s escalating strikes rattle Gulf states on Monday as oil soars and questions grow over who controls Tehran, Euronews’ Jane Witherspoon reports.
Residents of Gulf countries have spent another sleepless night, Euronews’ Jane Witherspoon reported from Dubai on Monday, after Iran’s attacks intensified across the region over the past 48 hours.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Alarms warning of imminent strikes woke residents in Doha at 3 am Monday, as Tehran continued its barrage targeting Qatar and the UAE, as well as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Oil prices surged to nearly $120 per barrel Monday morning, the largest price increase in four years, as the Iran war and Tehran’s actions continued to disrupt energy markets across the region.
A drone strike hit the area near the Dubai International Airport on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of passengers from planes preparing to depart.
Passengers were taken to a safe space underground in the main terminal following the strike at Dubai International Airport.
Separately, drone debris hit a car on a major road near Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, killing the driver.
Iranian strikes continued despite an apology from President Masoud Pezeshkian to neighbouring countries for previous attacks.
Meanwhile, Tehran announced it has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late Ali Khamenei, as its new ayatollah.
Insiders and experts alike believe the continued strikes signal Pezeshkian has no control over the IRGC, which is said to have been operating without centralised control since Ali Khamenei’s death in US-Israeli strikes on Tehran last Saturday.
At the same time, Mojtaba Khamenei — who has strong links with the IRGC, elite military corps answering directly to the supreme leader — was reportedly injured in the strikes and has not been seen in public since.
