Dubai. Israeli and US airstrikes pounded Iran on Monday in an expanding military campaign that President Donald Trump said could last several weeks, as Tehran and its allies retaliated across the Middle East with attacks on Israel and key targets in Gulf states.

The widening conflict — marked by the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the absence of a clear exit strategy — has shaken a region critical to global energy supplies. Areas long viewed as relatively stable, including Dubai, have reported incoming fire. Oil and gas prices surged, and U.S. allies moved to intercept Iranian missiles and drones.

Trump said operations could continue for four to five weeks but added he was prepared “to go far longer than that.” The State Department urged Americans to leave more than a dozen countries in the region because of security risks.

“The hardest hits are yet to come from the US military,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before briefing Congress.

Trump outlined four objectives: destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, crippling its navy, preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and halting its support for allied militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel on Monday.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and says it has not enriched uranium since June, though it maintains its right to do so. Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani wrote on social media: “We will not negotiate with the United States.”

Attacks Spread to Gulf Energy Hubs

Markets reacted sharply as the fighting spread to energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia said two drones struck the US Embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday, causing minor damage. The US Embassy compound in Kuwait was also hit Monday. Saudi officials said air defenses intercepted drones targeting the Ras Tanura oil refinery, which processes more than 500,000 barrels of crude per day.

The refinery attack “marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran’s sights,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.

After two facilities were struck, QatarEnergy announced it would suspend liquefied natural gas production indefinitely. European natural gas prices jumped 40% following the announcement.

Several vessels have also come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil passes.

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency said airstrikes targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment site. Neither Washington nor Jerusalem has confirmed hitting the facility, which was damaged in a brief 2025 conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had been rebuilding underground nuclear sites and defended the strikes as necessary, offering no public evidence.

Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press showed limited visible activity at two Iranian nuclear facilities before the latest fighting.

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Rising Casualties

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 555 people have been killed in the joint US.Israeli campaign. In Israel, Iranian missile strikes have killed 11 people. Israeli retaliatory strikes in Lebanon have killed dozens more.

The US military confirmed two previously missing service members were killed, bringing the American death toll to six. All were Army soldiers assigned to the same logistics unit in Kuwait.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, three people were reported killed in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.

In Jerusalem, three young siblings killed in an Iranian strike were buried Monday. Iran’s foreign minister claimed more than 160 girls died in a strike on a school in Minab, though that account could not be independently verified.

The U.S. military also said Kuwait mistakenly shot down three American fighter jets during an Iranian assault involving aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. All six pilots ejected safely.

Hezbollah said it fired missiles at Israel for the first time in more than a year. Israel responded with airstrikes in Lebanon, where authorities reported at least 52 people killed and more than 150 wounded in overnight attacks.

Israeli officials said all options remain on the table, including a potential ground operation. Strikes also targeted financial institutions and media outlets Israel says are linked to Hezbollah.

No Clear End

The US military said it has destroyed 11 Iranian warships and significantly degraded missile infrastructure, including through the use of B-2 stealth bombers. Trump said Iran’s naval headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”

Israeli and US officials insist the campaign is not open-ended, but they have provided no timeline for de-escalation.

Tehran’s streets have largely emptied during airstrikes, with security forces establishing checkpoints. Residents described a tense atmosphere, uncertain whether the conflict would trigger political change or deepen the crisis.

With casualties mounting and energy markets on edge, the war shows little sign of slowing, raising fears of prolonged instability across the region.