The escalation comes in the third week of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has left at least 2,000 people dead and disrupted critical energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Gulf targets hitIranian strikes hit oil and transport infrastructure in the UAE, where a drone struck a facility in Fujairah for a second consecutive day and debris from an intercepted missile fell in Abu Dhabi, killing one person, authorities said.

Rockets and drones also targeted the U.S. embassy in Baghdad in what Iraqi security sources described as the most intense such assault since the conflict began, though U.S. officials said no injuries were reported.Iran’s attacks have also extended to other Gulf states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, signalling a broader regional response.

Trump remarks and intelligence warnings.Trump said the scope of Iran’s retaliation had come as a surprise. “They weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East.

Nobody expected that. We were shocked,” he said.However, U.S. officials and sources familiar with intelligence assessments said the president had been warned before the conflict that strikes on Iran could provoke retaliatory attacks against Gulf allies, particularly if Tehran perceived them as supporting U.S. operations.

There was no pause in hostilities, with Iran launching overnight missile strikes on Israel, demonstrating continued long-range strike capability despite sustained bombardment.

Israel said it carried out a fresh wave of strikes on targets in Tehran and positions linked to Hezbollah in Beirut, and signalled plans for several more weeks of military operations.

Energy and market impactThe widening conflict has kept the Strait of Hormuz largely constrained, as U.S. allies declined to join efforts to secure the waterway.

The disruption has raised concerns over energy supplies, pushed up oil prices and intensified fears of inflation globally.

Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the attacks began shortly after midnight, with 48 drones launched in roughly two hours.

In a series of posts on X starting at 2:22 a.m. local time, he said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed all the drones before they reached their intended targets.The strikes form part of a broader pattern of nightly drone operations attributed to Iran, which Saudi officials say have intensified in recent weeks.

The drone barrage came hours after Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, shared a notice attributed to Iran’s military command asserting that the aircraft being used in attacks were not Iranian systems.

According to the statement cited by Enayati, “the enemy” was deploying drones disguised as Iranian-made Shahed drone under the name “Lucas drone,” an allegation that appeared aimed at deflecting responsibility for the strikes.

Saudi authorities did not comment on the claim.

Saudi defense officials said the latest attacks raised the number of drones intercepted in the kingdom to more than 230 since the campaign began.

Defense Ministry statements also show that more than 30 missiles have been shot down during the same period.Other Gulf states have reported similar increases in aerial threats.

Authorities in Bahrain said their air defenses had intercepted 125 missiles and 203 drones, with two people killed there and 24 others across the region.

The United Arab Emirates said its military had engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and approximately 1,600 drones during the conflict, reporting six fatalities.

Officials across the Gulf say the attacks have followed a recurring pattern of overnight drone launches followed by relative calm during daylight hours.

The warning came from the office of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, which said damage to energy and water infrastructure could intensify humanitarian risks as hostilities continue.

Speaking at a press briefing, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization was increasingly alarmed by reports of attacks targeting oil infrastructure.

“We continue to raise the alarm over the humanitarian impact of escalating violence across parts of the Middle East, which is driving rising civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and growing displacement of people,” Dujarric said.

He added that strikes on oil facilities could have “serious environmental consequences” across the region, with potential immediate effects on air quality, access to safe drinking water and food supplies.

The concerns come after Ministry of Interior Bahrain reported on Sunday that an Iranian drone attack damaged a water desalination plant in Bahrain.

Desalination plants are critical infrastructure for Gulf states, supplying much of the region’s drinking water and supporting economic activity in countries with limited freshwater resources.

Dujarric said the United Nations was urging all parties involved in the conflict to take precautions to protect civilians and essential infrastructure.

“We reiterate again that all possible precautions must be taken to protect civilians from the impact of hostilities and to avoid damage to health facilities, schools, water systems and other essential infrastructure,” Dujarric said.

The warning follows a series of recent attacks on energy installations linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Several oil facilities in Iran were targeted by Israeli strikes on Sunday, while Iran has also launched attacks on oil facilities elsewhere in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring states affected by Iranian strikes on U.S. military facilities in the region, urging them not to participate in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.“I personally apologize to neighbouring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” Pezeshkian said, according to remarks reported on Saturday.He rejected Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender, describing it as unrealistic. Pezeshkian said Iran’s temporary leadership council had approved suspending attacks on nearby countries unless military strikes against Iran were launched from their territory.The comments drew criticism from hardline factions within Iran, prompting Pezeshkian’s office to clarify that Iran’s military would respond decisively to any attacks originating from U.S. bases in the region.Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on state television there was no division among Iranian officials over how the war was being managed.The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The conflict has intensified tensions across the Gulf, where several countries host U.S. military installations.Saudi Arabia warned Tehran that continued attacks on the kingdom or its energy infrastructure could prompt retaliation, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.The governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported Iranian drone strikes on Saturday and early Sunday. Officials said the attacks caused varying degrees of damage but no fatalities.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also targeted U.S. forces at a military base in Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.The escalating exchanges have raised concerns among Gulf states that the conflict could broaden further across the region, threatening energy infrastructure and key shipping routes.Global impact and security concernsThe war has also triggered wider international repercussions. Rising tensions in the region have contributed to higher energy prices and disrupted global logistics and commercial activity tied to Middle Eastern shipping and oil production.In Europe, a blast struck the U.S. embassy in Oslo, though authorities said the cause remained unknown.As military operations continued, governments across the region have sought to balance security concerns with efforts to prevent the conflict from expanding into a broader regional war involving additional states and armed groups.

In a prerecorded address broadcast on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian said the strikes that targeted regional countries were the result of a miscommunication within military ranks. His remarks followed reports of repeated attacks earlier on Saturday against Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates amid the expanding regional conflict.

Apology to neighboring states,Pezeshkian said Iran did not intend to escalate tensions with its neighbors and expressed regret over the attacks. He said Tehran would halt such strikes unless an attack against Iran originated from those countries.The statement appeared aimed at easing tensions with Gulf states that host military installations linked to the United States and have reported missile and drone incidents during the escalating hostilities.Comments on US demandsIn the same address, Pezeshkian rejected calls from the United States for Iran to surrender unconditionally, dismissing the demand as unrealistic.His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated that Washington would accept nothing less than Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as the conflict intensifies.Regional tensions persist .

The apology followed a series of attacks reported across the Gulf earlier on Saturday as the confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States widened across the region.Iranian state media aired Pezeshkian’s remarks as governments across the Middle East continued to monitor security conditions following missile and drone incidents affecting several Gulf states.