Iran Struck Gulf... Now The Gulf Wants Them Out

Mojtaba Khamenei: A Target for the US but a Friend of Putin

The old Supreme Leader still hasn't been buried. His son Mojtaba Khamenei took over as the new Supreme Leader and is expected to deliver his first address to the nation within hours. He inherits a country under active bombardment, a collapsing regional alliance network, and a military that just lost its most senior general.

Putin wasted no time — sent a formal letter pledging "unwavering support" and calling Russia "a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic." He told Mojtaba he was confident he would "continue his father's work and unite the Iranian people in the face of severe trials." With the Gulf gone and Turkey issuing warnings, Moscow is the last friend Tehran has. Whether Russian support goes beyond letters remains the open question.

Israel Hits Tehran, Yazd, PMF Headquarters, and a Warship in the Gulf

The Israeli Air Force hit Iran across multiple fronts today (March 9). In the capital, footage showed sustained explosions across eastern Tehran. The Yazd missile complex, one of Iran's key ballistic missile sites, was struck directly. A separate strike hit PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces) headquarters inside Iranian territory — proxy infrastructure on Iranian soil, at a scale Israel hasn't targeted before.

At the port of Bandar e Lengeh in Hormozgan Province on the Persian Gulf, footage showed an Iranian naval vessel destroyed — possibly the Qasem Soleimani warship. The port sits on the strategic Strait of Hormuz corridor.

The IDF also confirmed it eliminated General Abolghasem Babaeian, military secretary to the Supreme Leader, in Tehran on Saturday (March 8). The intelligence was 50 minutes old when they struck. Babaeian is the most senior Iranian military figure eliminated since the operation began.

Shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile injured 2 in central Israel. A separate missile crossed into Turkish airspace — NATO intercepted it, and Turkey's Defense Ministry warned the IRGC that "all necessary steps against threats toward Turkey will be taken without hesitation." Two more were injured from debris after an intercept over Abu Dhabi.

The IRGC tried the economic pressure angle too — warning Gulf neighbors that if they don't get Trump under control, oil is going past $200 a barrel. Nobody seems to be listening.

"If you can tolerate oil at more than $200 per barrel, continue this game."

— IRGC Warning to Gulf States

Qatar Is Done With Hamas — You Hit Us, You Lose Us

Qatar told the U.S. it's done with Hamas. The group refused to condemn Iran's attacks on Gulf states, so Qatar is kicking them out. They've hosted Hamas's political bureau for over a decade, and Doha served as the primary venue for ceasefire negotiations throughout the entire Gaza war. Channel 12 broke the story.

Qatar's PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called it "a big sense of betrayal." He said it looked pre-planned — Gulf countries were getting hit within an hour of the war starting. Al Thani said the Gulf states had positioned themselves as neutral, helped broker talks, and kept the door open for Iran at every turn.

"But this miscalculation by the Iranians to attack the Gulf countries has destroyed everything."

— Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani · Qatar PM & FM · via Sky News

The fallout went further than the PM's office. Qatar's Minister of Education Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater went after the U.S. directly — told Washington to stop using the region as an excuse, stop starting wars for weapons companies, "stop bombing schools," and "stop trafficking and raping little kids." She closed with a direct demand: "Please stop liberating us, just leave us alone and we will be just fine."

The Gulf states spent years building careful relationships on all sides. Iran's decision to strike their territory wiped that out overnight. Hamas's refusal to distance itself forced Doha's hand. The message from the Gulf is clear: you hit us, you lose us.

IDF Goes After Hezbollah's Money — Then Releases the Phone Call

The IDF warned residents of Lebanon that a large-scale operation against Al-Qard Al-Hasan, Hezbollah's financial institution, was coming. Then they delivered. A direct strike hit a branch in Dahiya on the road to the Beirut airport. The IDF also intercepted dozens of Hezbollah drones and struck multiple rocket and missile launchers south of the Litani River.

The IDF released a recording of a Unit 504 officer calling a resident of southern Beirut. The man pleaded: "Get them off us, brother. I'm with you. Get rid of them. They've driven us out." He was talking about Hezbollah.

Israel is running a multi-front operation at a pace that's hard to keep up with. Iran is getting hit from the air while losing its allies on the ground. The Gulf states that spent years staying neutral got dragged into a war they didn't want — and they're furious about it. Qatar expelling Hamas is the most visible break, but the $200 oil threat falling flat tells the real story. Iran's leverage is shrinking by the hour.

A cluster bomb detonated in Israel today. IRGC General Mohsen Rezaei told the Iranian public to hang tight, promising "much better news in the coming days and weeks."

And somewhere in the Arabian Sea, sailors on a passing ship fired up a barbecue while watching the USS Abraham Lincoln launch strike aircraft.