Iran continued drone and ballistic missile attacks on Gulf states despite President Masoud Pezeshkian’s order to suspend strikes unless attacks on Iran originated from their territory.
The combined force has continued to target Basij bases in Tehran to degrade the regime's ability to maintain domestic control. The Basij is a paramilitary force that is responsible for civil defense and social control.
Commercially available satellite imagery shows that the combined force has targeted at least nine of the 23 Basij regional bases in Tehran as of March 6.
The combined force struck two Artesh airbases in Esfahan Province on March 7 to suppress and destroy Iranian air defenses over the province and extend air dominance into central Iran. The combined force has established air superiority over Tehran and has likely done so over parts of western Iran.
The combined force struck an unidentified vehicle at the Mount Kolang Gaz La facility, south of the Natanz Enrichment Complex, on March 6. The Institute for Science and International Security reported that US-Israeli strikes targeted and destroyed a vehicle at the Mount Kolang Gaz La facility, citing March 6 satellite imagery. The Institute assessed that the vehicle may be related to air defense, but ISW-CTP could not come to an independent conclusion based on the available evidence.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-morning-special-report-march-7-2026/
Iran Update Evening Special Report, March 7, 2026
Senior Iranian hardline officials are upset over Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s March 7 statement about Iranian attacks on regional countries. Pezeshkian’s comments reiterated a long-standing regime policy rather than signal a policy shift, yet still drew criticism from hardliners, which highlights the extent of divisions within Iran's leadership.[1] Pezeshkian apologized on March 7 to regional countries that Iran has attacked since the start of the conflict and said that the Leadership Council, which assumed the duties of the supreme leader after his death, ordered the Armed Forces not to attack any country unless that country attacks Iran.[2] Pezeshkian clarified in a post on X that Iranian attacks on regional countries exclusively target US facilities rather than host countries themselves.[3] This claim is false. Iran has struck sites in Middle Eastern countries that are not US bases, including a drone strike on the Hayat Palace Hotel in Bahrain on March 3.[4] Pezeshkian’s statement echoes the regime's long-standing position on regional attacks. The regime has historically threatened or used military force to pressure Gulf countries to sever ties with the United States and to deter US action against Iran.[5] Iran and Iran-backed actors have previously cited the presence of US assets in Middle Eastern countries to justify indiscriminate attacks on those countries.[6] Hardline parliamentarian Hamid Rasaei dismissed Pezeshkian’s statement as “weak, unprofessional, and unacceptable” and urged the Assembly of Experts to select a new supreme leader soon so it can dissolve the Leadership Council.[7] An unspecified hardliner close to the office of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Reuters that several senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were also upset with Pezeshkian’s statement.[8] Pezeshkian’s office released a readout of the speech after the backlash that once again reiterated the regime's position but notably omitted Pezeshkian’s apology to regional countries, which was almost certainly a response to the criticism.[9]
The combined force expanded its airstrike campaign to include Iranian oil production and storage facilities for the first time on March 7. The IDF struck two oil refineries and two oil storage facilities in Iran. Disruptions to Iran's energy sector will likely worsen the country's ongoing energy crisis and lead to more widespread and frequent electricity shortages and outages.
An Israeli journalist reported on March 7 that Israel estimates that Iran has about 120 missile launchers remaining. US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated on March 5 that ballistic missile attacks from Iran have declined by roughly 90 percent since the strikes began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the Iranian drone threat with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman al Saud on March 7.[21] Iranian drone strikes targeting Saudi territory have damaged civilian infrastructure and forced the closure of Saudi Arabia's largest domestic oil refinery and export terminal.[22] Zelensky said that Ukraine is “ready to help” Saudi Arabia address the threat posed by Shahed drones.[23] Ukraine has years of experience defending against almost nightly large-scale Russian drone and missile strike packages, which have included Iranian-origin strike drones much like those the United States and its allies currently face in the Middle East.[24] Ukraine has a reported 90 percent interception rate of such drones.[25] Reuters reported on March 5, citing a source familiar with the matter, that US and Qatari officials are in talks with Ukraine to purchase Ukrainian interceptor drones to intercept Iranian Shahed drones.[26]
USS George H. W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is reportedly expected to deploy soon, potentially to the Middle East.[27] The US Navy announced that USS George H. W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) completed Composite Training Unit Exercise on March 6.[28] CSG Commander Rear Admiral Alexis Walker said that the completion of the training exercise means that the CSG is “ready for major combat operations around the world.”[29] The US Naval Institute News said that the USS George H W Bush CSG is the “next expected [CSG] to deploy from the United States.”[30] The United States currently has two CSGs within the US Central Command area of responsibility in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.[31]
The combined force struck the IRGC Aerospace Force infrastructure in Tehran on March 7, likely to degrade Iranian air defense capabilities and command and control. The IRGC Aerospace Force is the principal operator of the Iranian missile and drone arsenals.
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Geolocated satellite imagery published on March 7 confirms that the IDF struck the Shahroud Missile Facility in Semnan Province, northeastern Iran. The IDF struck buildings at the Shahroud Missile Facility during the June 2025 Israel-Iran War that had previously housed planetary mixers, which are essential for producing ballistic missile solid fuel. Satellite imagery published by the Associated Press in September 2025 showed that Iran had started repairing damaged mixer buildings at Shahroud.
The combined force has reportedly targeted at least five internal security sites in and around Esfahan City, central Iran, since CTP-ISW’s last data cutoff at 3:00 PM ET on March 7. These sites include the Esfahan Province Law Enforcement Command (LEC) Headquarters, which oversees LEC units in Esfahan Province.
The IDF has continued to conduct airstrikes against Hezbollah to degrade Hezbollah's ability to launch attacks against IDF forces and positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. The IDF stated on March 8 that it has struck more than 600 Hezbollah targets and killed more than 200 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon since February 28.
Iran has continued to target regional countries and Israel since CTP-ISW’s last data cutoff at 3:00 PM ET on March 7.
Iran conducted two separate drone attacks against Kuwait on March 7, targeting the Kuwaiti Social Security Building and fuel storage tanks at the Kuwait International Airport. Unspecified security sources told Reuters that unidentified actors conducted a drone attack targeting the United Nations building in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan.
Hezbollah has claimed 19 attacks targeting IDF positions and forces in northern Israel and southern Lebanon since CTP-ISW’s last data cutoff at 3:00 PM ET on March 7.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-morning-special-report-march-8-2026/
Iran Update Evening Special Report, March 8, 2026
Iran's Assembly of Experts selected former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the next Supreme Leader on March 8.[1] Mojtaba’s selection as the Supreme Leader represents a victory for hardline factions over more pragmatic figures within the regime. Mojtaba is a hardline cleric who will likely pursue similar domestic and foreign policies to those of his father. Mojtaba fought in the Iran-Iraq War and developed important relationships while serving in the Habib Ibn Mazahir Battalion under the 27th Mohammad Rasoul Allah Division.[2] Many members of the Habib Battalion went on to hold influential positions, particularly in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization.[3] Mojtaba maintained ties to these individuals, such as former IRGC Intelligence Organization Chief Hossein Taeb. Mojtaba used these relationships to cement his role in Iran's security apparatus. Mojtaba reportedly played a leading role in securing former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in 2009 and subsequently took control of the Basij to crush the protests over Ahmadinejad's election, for example.[4] US President Donald Trump told Axios on March 5 that Mojtaba was an unacceptable candidate to become Iran's new Supreme Leader.[5]
Mojtaba will face several immediate challenges, including trying to establish his legitimacy and attempting to unite and gain the support of various regime factions. Mojtaba’s connections to the IRGC and the Office of the Supreme Leader may mitigate some of these challenges, however. Mojtaba is a mid-level cleric like his father was when he assumed the position, which has historically caused his candidacy to be controversial.[6] Prominent clerics have publicly questioned Mojtaba’s religious credentials, for example.[7] Mojtaba will also likely face criticisms that the Islamic Republic is transforming into a monarchy with hereditary succession, particularly because Ali Khamenei reportedly opposed hereditary succession.[8] Mojtaba will additionally have to contend with a very fractured regime and attempt to unite and gain the support of various factions at a point when the regime is facing unprecedented internal and external pressure. Anti-regime media recently reported that the IRGC pushed for Mojtaba’s selection.[9] It is unclear which specific factions within the IRGC support Mojtaba, but this support may mitigate some of the challenges Mojtaba will face.
Mojtaba’s selection represents a victory for hardliners over more pragmatic figures within the regime. Some Assembly of Experts members, such as hardline cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Mehdi Mir Bagheri, wanted the Assembly of Experts to quickly appoint a new Supreme Leader after Ali Khamenei’s death, likely, in part, to make it difficult for those who opposed Mojtaba’s candidacy to have sufficient time to convince others to oppose Mojtaba.[10] More pragmatic figures within the regime appear to oppose Mojtaba. Anti-regime media reported on March 6 that Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani had wanted his brother, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, to become the next Supreme Leader, which would have given Ali Larijani immense power within the regime.[11] Anti-regime media previously reported in September 2025 that Ali Larijani was “competing to position [himself] for a potential succession.“[12] The New York Times reported on February 22 that Khamenei had tasked Ali Larijani with “steering the country” during the recent protests and that Larijani has “effectively been running the country” since then.[13]
Ukraine will send an unspecified number of Ukrainian military personnel with expertise in downing Shahed drones to Gulf states, underscoring how Ukraine's experience in defending against Iranian drones can strengthen the air defenses of the United States and its allies in the Middle East.
The US-Israeli combined force continued to target Iranian ballistic missile infrastructure in order to degrade Iranian missile capabilities and ultimately destroy the Iranian ballistic missile program. The IDF has attacked over 400 targets, including ballistic missile launchers and weapons production sites, in western and central Iran over the past day. The IDF has destroyed around 75 percent of Iran's missile launchers.
The combined force continued to target Iranian internal security institutions in Tehran City and western Iran. OSINT accounts reported combined force airstrikes targeting LEC headquarters in Borujerd, Lorestan Province, Kuhdasht, Lorestan Province, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Kermanshah Province, and Abdanan, Ilam Province.
Iran continued to attack regional countries on March 7 and
8. An Iranian drone damaged a desalination plant in Bahrain. The Saudi Civil Defense Authority reported on March 8 that an unspecified projectile fell on a residential area in Kharj, Saudi Arabia, killing two individuals and wounding 12 others.
The IDF has continued to conduct airstrikes targeting Hezbollah across Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah's ability to launch attacks targeting Israeli forces and positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. The IDF has conducted over 100 strikes in Lebanon in the past 24 hours and a total of 600 strikes using 820 munitions in Lebanon since the war began on February 28.
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