Hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized for Saturday’s attacks on neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones as Iran continued to attack its Gulf neighbor, AFP reported.
Around the same time the Iranian president made his remarks, sirens and missile warnings were reported in Bahrain and Qatar amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, Iran and the US, Bloomberg reported.
Earlier in the day – in Dubai – Emirates suspended flights after another round of projectiles disrupted operations at the world’s largest international airline. Shortly after, it announced that it was resuming operations.
What did the Iranian president say?
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly apologized for launching attacks on neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid a conflict with Israel and the US.
In a pre-recorded speech broadcast on state television on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Iran’s neighbors would not be targeted unless they launched attacks during a war with Israel and the United States.
“The Interim Leadership Council agreed yesterday that no more attacks will be made on neighboring countries and no more missiles will be fired unless the attack on Iran comes from those countries,” Pezeshkian said, according to several reports.
This video footage, taken from UGC images posted on social media on March 7, 2026, shows smoke rising from Dubai International Airport. Dubai Airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, suspended operations on March 7 before partially resuming operations after air defenses were intercepted in the area during attacks from Iran.(AFP)
The series of incidents comes amid the ongoing Israeli-Iranian-US conflict, which entered its eighth day on Saturday.
Israel-Iran-US conflict
Iran launched retaliatory strikes after the US and Israel jointly attacked the Islamic Republic on Saturday, February 28. Blasts were reported across Abu Dhabi, Doha, Qatar and other key Middle Eastern centers – which are also home to US military bases.
Here you can follow the latest updates on the conflict between Israel, Iran and the US
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was also killed in US-Israeli airstrikes.
Fresh military activities in Saudi Arabia
Fresh military activity was reported in the UAE in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
FILE PHOTO: Vehicles move along a road as smoke billows from Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura oil refinery after a reported Iranian drone strike amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo(REUTERS)
The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones as Iran continued its attacks, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four drones targeting the country’s huge Shaybah oil field, the second attempted attack in a matter of hours, the AP reported.
Gulf Allies Criticize Admin Trump
Gulf allies have previously criticized the Trump administration for not informing them of Iranian attacks, the AP report said.
On Friday. officials of the two countries reportedly said their governments were disappointed with the United States’ handling of the early stages of the conflict, particularly the initial strike on Iran on February 28.
Meanwhile, Trump warned on Saturday that Iran “will be hit very hard” and promised “total destruction, death.” Iran will be hit very hard today! Total destruction and certain death under serious consideration due to Iran’s misbehavior,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
