If Russia Wants To Stay On Washington's Good Side, Why Help Iran Target US Forces?
Two days after the United States and Israel launched their massive air campaign on Iran, the US Embassy in Riyadh -- 400 kilometers inland from the Persian Gulf -- was hit by two Iranian drones. The attack caused no injuries and “limited fire and minor material damage to the building,” according to the Saudi Defense Ministry and the embassy itself.
What was more significant was the apparent target: the CIA station for Saudi Arabia.
Since the start of the war on February 28, Iran has retaliated with an expanding number of targets, hitting US military installations -- in Kuwait and in Bahrain -- with drones and missiles, as well as high-profile, high-visibility facilities in other countries -- Dubai’s skyscrapers and airport; desalinization plants in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
But those targets take little military intelligence to strike.
To read the full report by Mike Eckel, click here.
US Used $5.6 Billion In Munitions In First 2 Days Of Iran Strikes, Says Source
The administration of US President Donald Trump told congressional committees it used about $5.6 billion in munitions during the first two days of strikes against Iran, a source familiar with the report told Reuters.
Lawmakers, who may soon have to approve additional funding for the conflict launched on February 28 alongside Israel, have raised concerns about the impact on US military stockpiles, which were already under strain due to high demand.
Trump met executives from seven defense contractors as the Pentagon works to replenish supplies.
The administration has not publicly disclosed the total cost of the war.
Officials are expected to seek additional funding from Congress, possibly around $50 billion. although some officials have said this estimate seems low.
Germany 'Concerned' That US, Israel Have No Planned End To War With Iran
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on March 10 that his country is "concerned" that the United States and Israel have no plan to end the war in Iran.
Merz said after meeting with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Berlin on March 10 that the United States and Israel have been at war for more than a week and that each passing day raises more questions.
"We are particularly concerned that there is clearly no common plan for a swift and decisive end to this war," he added.
These comments come as US President Donald Trump has said that he thinks "the war is almost over" and "could be over very soon."
However, he did not give a specific time frame for the war to end. Trump had previously set a time frame of at least four weeks for Operation Epic Fury, as the US military has dubbed the campaign, against Iran. The US-Israeli bombardment of entered its 11th day on Tuesday.
Merz also called Iran's retaliatory attacks an "escalation of tensions."
Yesterday, he placed the responsibility for ending the war on the leaders of the Islamic republic.
Referring to the cases of Iraq and Libya, which descended into chaos and civil war after "Western interventions," Merz said a similar outcome for Iran "would harm all of us. We are not interested in endless war. We are not interested in the loss of Iran's territorial integrity, sovereignty, or economic capability."
The German chancellor said that his country is directly affected by the war through security, energy supply, and migration.
He emphasized that Berlin is working with its partners in the European Union on a vision for Iran.
Multiple Explosions Reported In Shahr-e Qods, Outside Tehran
Video footage, verified by RFE/RL, shows the aftermath of consecutive explosions in Shahr-e Qods, Tehran Province, on March 10:
Bahrain Says Woman Killed In Iranian Attack
Bahraini authorities announced on March 10 that a 29-year-old woman was killed in an attack attributed to Iran in the country.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry announced that a residential building in the capital, Manama, was damaged during the Islamic republic's attack, killing the woman and wounding eight others.
Bahrain's Health Ministry announced on March 9 that 32 people were injured following Iranian drone attacks on Setra Island south of Manama.
According to Bahraini officials, a desalination facility was also targeted during the attack.
This is despite the fact that Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said in a video message on March 7 that Tehran would not attack its neighbors as long as no attack is carried out against Iran from the territory of neighboring countries.
These statements were denied hours later by senior officials of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
After the release of this message, several Persian Gulf countries were targeted by missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran.
Hegseth Says March 10 To Be Most Intense Day Of Strikes Against Iran So Far
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says March 10 will be the most intense day of air strikes on Iran since the United States' military operation against the Islamic republic began in cooperation with Israel last month.
"Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Hegseth told a briefing at the Pentagon.
He gave no details on the size of the expected strikes, but added that the objective is to destroy Iranian missiles and its military production capabilities, as well as to destroy Iran's navy.
G7 Energy Ministers To Discuss Jump In Energy Prices Amid US-Israeli Campaign Against Iran
Energy ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) nations are set to hold a conference call at 12:45 p.m. GMT to discuss soaring energy prices due to the war in Iran.
The call comes a day after oil prices surged through the $100 per barrel mark -- reaching a high of almost $120 -- before retreating to around $92 on March 9 after US President Donald Trump said he could see the war ending "very soon."
Crude oil prices have surged since Iranian attacks on shipping closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.
During the war, air strikes have hit an oil infrastructure in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.
Iran's Kerman Airport, Other Targets, Reportedly Attacked
Following Israeli and US air strikes on various sites in Iran, RFE/RL has verified footage published on social media showing attacks around Kerman Airport on March 10.
The images showed black smoke rising from the bombed area. Similar images were also released of black smoke rising around Shiraz airport and Bandar Abbas.
The Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported the attack on Kerman Airport, citing the deputy security officer of the Kerman governor's office, and wrote: "Part of the Kerman city airport was damaged, and two used planes were hit."
CENTCOM and the Israeli military have not yet commented on the latest attacks on Iran.
IRGC Says It Forbids Export Of Even 'Single Liter Of Oil'
Ali Abdullahi, a commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), issued a statement announcing that Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of the Islamic republic, and the armed forces are demanding "revenge."
"There is no end to the war. The will of the leadership, our people, and the armed forces to take revenge on mortal enemies is stronger than ever," Abdullahi said in the statement on March 10.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the recently announced new supreme leader of the Islamic republic, was appointed on March 8 but has yet to issue a direct message or give a speech.
While US President Donald Trump announced that the joint US-Israeli operation against the Islamic republic will continue until "final victory," Abdullahi also said that "the US and Israel cannot end the war whenever they want."
These statements come at a time when American officials maintained that the war cannot end until Washington's goals toward the Islamic republic have been achieved.
IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naeini said that despite Trump's warnings, Iran's armed forces "will not allow the export of a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice."
The statement came after Trump wrote on wrote March 9: "I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply. And if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level.'
Iran Tells Women's Soccer Team To Return To Iran
The Iranian Attorney General's Office has called on members of the national women's soccer team to return to the country "in addition to addressing the concerns of their families," according to the judicial body, "to be in the forefront of confronting the conspiracies of the country's enemies."
In the statement, released on March 10, the prosecutor's office did not mention the fact that at least five members of the team have taken refuge in Australia, but wrote: "Some members of our women's soccer team have, unintentionally and with heightened emotions resulting from the conspiracy and mischief of the enemy, behaved in a way that has caused delusional excitement" among the leaders of the United States and Israel.
US President Donald Trump has warned that Australia would make a "very big human mistake" if it allows the team to return to Iran following threats against the athletes for not singing the Islamic republic of Iran's anthem during their first match in Australia.
It was then reported that at least five members of the women's soccer team had applied for asylum, and on the evening of March 9 the Australian Immigration Minister released pictures of his meeting with them and wrote that he had told them that they would be allowed live in safety in Australia.