00:00Following United States and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory on Saturday and the reported
00:06killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has expanded its retaliation on Sunday,
00:13March 1, striking multiple Gulf locations, hosting American military installations.
00:18This marks the most serious cross-border escalation in the Gulf in decades.
00:23What we are witnessing now is not retaliation in isolation, it is the widening of a war.
00:29On Sunday, Iran expanded its response far beyond the symbolic missile launches.
00:35The targets were not random, they were strategic, Gulf nations that host American military installations.
00:41In the United Arab Emirates, explosions rocked Dubai.
00:44Panic scenes unfolded at Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest transit hubs.
00:50Smoke in terminals, flights suspended, a concourse that was damaged.
00:55In Palm Jumeirah, even psychological rupture, which can be called fire was seen, broken out there.
01:04For a city built on stability and global connectivity, this is something which is more than just a dent.
01:11In Abu Dhabi, earlier, strikes had already caused civilian casualties.
01:16The message is clear, no longer confined to military zones, the gloves are off.
01:22In Qatar, missiles were intercepted over Doha.
01:26Al-Udayd Air Base, the backbone of US operations in the region, sits firmly within Iran's crosshairs.
01:33Qatar's air defences held for now.
01:35But in Bahrain, a drone strike damaged the international airport.
01:39Fires were seen at Manama.
01:41This is also home to the US 5th Fleet.
01:45Tehran is signalling that American presence in the Gulf carries direct consequences.
01:50Kuwait was not spared too.
01:52A drone hit Terminal 1 of Kuwait International Airport, injuring a few staff members.
01:58Saudi Arabia reported air defence alerts near Riyadh.
02:02Here is a breakup of Iran's barrage of attacks on the Gulf.
02:05Very quick, number game here.
02:07On UAE, Iran fired 137 missiles plus 209 drones.
02:12On Qatar, 66 missiles till now, Sunday morning.
02:17Bahrain, 45 missiles plus 9 drones.
02:21Most of them have been intercepted, but the numbers are staggering here.
02:25Iran fired roughly as many missiles at the UAE alone as it did at Israel in the same way.
02:31So what is the common thread here?
02:33Aviation hubs, military infrastructure, strategic visibility.
02:37This is a calibrated escalation.
02:40Iran is not striking blindly.
02:42Let me tell you, it is targeting nodes of American power projection and global commerce.
02:48Strait of Harbuz being one of them, which is being closed.
02:50And the consequences are already visible.
02:53Airspace closures, suspended flights, nervous energy markets, expatriate communities reassessing their safety.
03:00The Gulf has long projected itself as insulated from direct war.
03:05That insulation is now gone.
03:08So the next question is Stark.
03:10Does Washington escalate further or seek containment?
03:15Or does Iran put a cap on these attacks?
03:20Because once commercial hubs become war theaters, the conflict is no longer regional then.
03:25It becomes a global impact and many players get drawn into it.
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