Iran’s coordinated drone and missile strikes on March 11 hit the world’s busiest air hub in Dubai, set fire to fuel tanks on Bahrain’s Muharraq Island, and crippleed oil terminals at Iraq’s port of Basra, while the United States and Israel responded with air raids on Tehran. The United Nations Security Council, in a 13‑0 vote that saw China and Russia abstain, demanded an immediate cease‑fire to Iran’s attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbours.
Four people were injured when two Iranian drones struck near Dubai International Airport, though flights continued. In Bahrain, a blaze ignited on Muharraq Island — the site of the kingdom’s main airport and nearby petroleum storage — prompting authorities to urge residents to stay indoors. The attack on Basra killed at least one person and forced the shutdown of all the country’s petroleum terminals, according to the Iraqi Ports Authority.
The U.S. Pentagon told Congress that the first week of the conflict cost $11.3 billion, including $5 billion spent on ammunition alone. In response to the Iranian offensive, Israel launched a “large‑scale wave” of attacks on Tehran and struck a tourist area of Beirut, killing seven civilians and wounding 21, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. Hezbollah rocket fire had earlier prompted the Israeli retaliation.
Iran’s own officials claim more than 1,300 Iranians have died since the fighting began, while Israel reports 12 of its citizens killed. The United States confirmed seven soldiers dead and eight seriously wounded. In Lebanon, at least 634 people have died, and the UN Refugee Agency estimates 759,000 residents displaced internally.
The escalation has disrupted global oil markets: the International Energy Agency released 400 million barrels from emergency reserves, and the United States plans to release 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ease soaring energy prices.
The UN Security Council’s resolution, which United Nations ambassadors described as “extremely unbalanced” for omitting the U.S. and Israeli attacks that sparked the war, underscores the international community’s resolve to halt the aggression threatening a region critical to global trade, energy security and commerce.