Speaking after a consultative meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh, bin Farhan accused Tehran of premeditated hostile actions against its neighbours, both directly and through regional proxies, and urged it to halt further escalation.

“This pressure from Iran will backfire politically and morally and certainly we reserve the right to take military actions if deemed necessary,” he told a news conference.

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh, with debris falling near a refinery south of the capital. Interceptors were seen launched near the venue hosting the diplomatic gathering as ministers from countries including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Syria convened.

The strikes marked a significant moment in the conflict, with residents in Riyadh reporting blasts and receiving warning alerts for the first time since hostilities began.

Saudi authorities say the kingdom has faced hundreds of missiles and drones since the start of the conflict, the vast majority of which have been intercepted.

The escalation follows Iran’s vow to target oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf after what it described as an Israeli strike on its facilities in the South Pars gas field.

Attacks on Wednesday affected energy sites in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns over global supply disruptions.The widening conflict, now in its third week, has already driven oil prices higher and unsettled energy markets as critical infrastructure comes under repeated threat.

Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic relations in 2023 after years of rivalry that saw them support opposing factions across the region.

Bin Farhan said Riyadh still preferred diplomacy but warned that continued Iranian actions could eliminate any remaining basis for trust.

“If Iran doesn’t stop immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish trust,” he said.

Israel said the missiles dispersed multiple submunitions mid-air, complicating interception efforts. The overnight attack killed two people in Tel Aviv, bringing the total death toll in Israel since the start of the war to at least 14, according to Israeli authorities.

Iran described the strike as a direct response to the assassination of Larijani, one of the most senior figures killed since the conflict began more than two weeks ago. Tehran confirmed his death on Tuesday, following earlier Israeli statements that he had been targeted in an airstrike.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which Larijani had previously headed as secretary, said his son and deputy, Alireza Bayat, were also killed in a separate Israeli attack on Monday night.

In a separate development, Iran said a projectile struck near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Tuesday evening but caused no damage or injuries. The country informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of the incident.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi renewed calls for maximum restraint, warning of the risk of a nuclear accident if strikes continue near sensitive facilities.

The United States and Israel have said their campaign aims in part to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons programme. The strikes have killed multiple senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the opening phase of the conflict.

Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected proposals to de-escalate, according to a senior Iranian official. Speaking at his first foreign policy meeting since taking office, he said it was not the right time for peace and that Iran would continue its confrontation until its adversaries accepted defeat and paid compensation.

The exchange of strikes underscores the intensifying trajectory of the conflict, with both sides expanding targets and rhetoric while international agencies warn of broader regional and nuclear risks.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that Larijani, 67, died in the strike, while Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier that he had been targeted and killed in an Israeli operation. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the circumstances of the attack.

Larijani, a prominent figure from a clerical family that rose to influence after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, held a series of senior roles across Iran’s political and security establishment.

A former commander in the Revolutionary Guard during the Iran-Iraq war, he later led the state broadcaster and served as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

He was also speaker of parliament for 12 years, consolidating his position as a key intermediary between Iran’s political factions and the office of the supreme leader.

As one of Khamenei’s trusted lieutenants, Larijani played a central role in shaping Iran’s nuclear strategy, which sought to advance atomic capabilities while avoiding direct confrontation with Western powers. He was a frequent interlocutor in negotiations, presenting Iran’s position in public and diplomatic settings.

His portfolio extended beyond nuclear policy to include managing regional alliances and overseeing internal security responses during periods of unrest.

Despite being viewed by some analysts as relatively pragmatic compared to other hardline figures, Larijani was accused by Western officials of involvement in the suppression of anti-government protests earlier this year. The crackdown, which resulted in thousands of deaths, led Washington to impose sanctions on him last month.

Following the launch of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, Larijani publicly accused Iran’s adversaries of attempting to destabilize and weaken the country, while warning against domestic dissent.

His death comes amid intensifying military exchanges that have targeted senior Iranian figures, raising questions about the resilience of Tehran’s leadership structure and the future direction of its security and nuclear policies.

“In a precise strike in Tehran: The IDF eliminated the Commander of the Basij Unit,” the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that Soleimani had led the Basij for the past six years.

It said the operation was carried out by the Israeli Air Force based on intelligence.Israeli media reported that Larijani, a senior figure in Iran’s political and security establishment, was also targeted for assassination, though no confirmation on his status was immediately available.

The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force operating under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has played a central role in enforcing internal security.

Israel’s military said the Basij had led “main repression operations” during recent mass protests in Iran, which it cited as part of the rationale for the strike.

Iran experienced widespread unrest that peaked in January, with demonstrations challenging the clerical establishment. According to rights groups, the crackdown that followed resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests.

The Israeli military said the strikes were part of broader operations that yielded “significant preventive achievements overnight,” quoting Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.

The targeting of senior Iranian figures in Tehran, if confirmed, would mark a notable escalation in Israel’s operations, extending beyond regional proxy engagements into direct action within Iran’s capital.

There was no immediate response from Iranian authorities regarding the reported strikes or casualties.

The statement marks a further escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, where both sides have intensified military operations targeting senior leadership figures.

Conflicting accounts emergeWhile Israeli officials declared Larijani dead, earlier reports citing Israeli sources indicated that his fate remained unclear following strikes that targeted him, leaving uncertainty over whether he had been killed or wounded.

Iran has not issued any official response confirming his death.Key figure in Iran’s power structureLarijani, a senior political and security figure, has played a central role in Iran’s leadership apparatus, particularly after the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in earlier U.S.-Israeli strikes that reshaped the country’s command structure.

His removal, if confirmed, would represent one of the most significant blows to Iran’s leadership since the start of the current conflict.

The reported strike comes amid a wider Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s military and security elite. Israeli operations have also reportedly killed other senior figures, including commanders linked to the Basij militia, a key internal security force.

The targeting of high-ranking officials signals a strategy aimed at weakening Iran’s command-and-control capabilities as hostilities continue to expand across the region.

The developments underscore the widening scope of the conflict, which has already drawn in multiple regional actors and disrupted energy markets and security dynamics across the Middle East.

With no confirmation from Tehran and conflicting accounts still emerging, the situation remains fluid.

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.

The conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has entered its third week, with the Strait of Hormuz — a corridor for roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows effectively constrained by Iranian drones and naval mines.

Several U.S. partners, including Germany, Spain and Italy, said they had no immediate plans to send warships to secure the passage, citing legal and political constraints.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin lacked a mandate from the United Nations, the European Union or NATO, and added that Germany had not been consulted prior to the launch of military operations.

Trump, speaking in Washington, said some countries had expressed willingness to assist but criticised others for what he described as a lack of enthusiasm despite long-standing U.S. support.

The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has heightened fears of supply shocks and inflationary pressure, as energy markets react to restricted flows through one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.Iran has targeted oil infrastructure across the Gulf, including facilities in the United Arab Emirates.

Drone strikes hit an oil facility in Fujairah for a second consecutive day, while operations at key sites, including the Shah gas field in Abu Dhabi, were suspended.

Airspace closures and temporary halts at major hubs, including Dubai’s international airport, underscored the wider economic and logistical impact.

There was no pause in hostilities, with Israel saying it struck Iranian infrastructure in Tehran and positions linked to Hezbollah in Beirut. Israeli officials have indicated plans for at least three more weeks of military operations.

Iran launched overnight strikes on Israel, demonstrating continued long-range capabilities, while warning it would target energy assets in any country facilitating attacks on its territory.

Tehran has also accused the UAE of serving as a launch point for recent U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil export hub, signalling a potential widening of the conflict’s geographic scope.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdullah II made the remarks during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday, where they discussed intensifying military activity and its implications for regional security, according to the Jordan News Agency.

The two leaders condemned what they described as Iranian aggression, saying recent attacks targeted their countries and violated sovereignty as well as international law. Their statements were also carried by the Emirates News Agency.

They warned that continued escalation posed risks not only to regional stability but also to global peace and security.Arab stance on conflictBoth leaders reiterated that Arab countries had neither initiated nor participated in the conflict, which they said began on Feb. 28.

Instead, Gulf and broader Arab states have focused on containing the crisis and preventing it from widening.They pointed to ongoing diplomatic efforts by the Gulf Cooperation Council and other regional actors aimed at reducing tensions.

The leaders stressed the need to halt military escalation and prioritise dialogue, urging a return to diplomatic channels to address the crisis.

Their meeting comes amid growing concerns over the spillover effects of the conflict, including threats to national sovereignty and disruptions to regional security dynamics.

The aviation authority had briefly closed the country’s airspace as regional security risks escalated, after the defence ministry said it was responding to incoming aerial threats from Iran.

The suspension of air traffic was described by officials as a precautionary step amid rapidly evolving developments in the region. No timeline was provided for the duration of the closure, but operations were restored within hours once the situation stabilised.

Authorities did not disclose details on the scale or origin of the threats beyond confirming missile and drone activity, nor did they indicate any damage or casualties linked to the incident.

The General Civil Aviation Authority said the measures were implemented to ensure the safety of airspace users and aligned with standard protocols during security contingencies.

The reopening signals that risk levels were assessed to have subsided sufficiently for normal operations to resume.

The UAE is a major global aviation hub, and even brief airspace closures can affect regional and international flight schedules, though no specific disruptions were detailed in the official statements.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where cross-border threats involving drones and missiles have increasingly prompted rapid defensive responses and precautionary restrictions on civilian infrastructure, including aviation corridors.

Officials have not issued further advisories following the resumption of air traffic.

The government-approved measure will increase the monthly minimum wage from 103 million rials to 166 million rials, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing Iran’s labor minister. The adjustment will take effect in the upcoming Persian calendar year, which begins in the coming days.

Iran revises its minimum wage annually to reflect inflationary pressures, which have surged amid tightening international sanctions and economic disruption linked to tensions with Israel and the United States. The Iranian rial has sharply depreciated in recent months, with the currency trading at around 1.47 million rials to the U.S. dollar, according to the monitoring website Bonbast.

The wage increase comes as households across the country grapple with rising living costs and a steep fall in the value of the national currency. Iranian authorities said the new wage level was approved by the government following consultations over compensation adjustments tied to inflation.

Tasnim also reported that the government would implement a comparable increase in child support benefits as part of the broader wage revision package.

The announcement follows months of anti-government protests that began in December last year, initially triggered by public frustration over the high cost of living and the weakening currency.

Demonstrations quickly expanded into a broader nationwide movement calling for the end of Iran’s clerical leadership, which has governed the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Authorities responded with a crackdown that rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths. During the unrest, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington could intervene militarily while urging Iranians to challenge the country’s leadership.