Iran war enters second week with new leader

The Middle East conflict has reached a critical turning point as Mojtaba Khamenei is officially named the successor to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a rare apology on Saturday, March 7, 2026, for strikes hitting neighboring Gulf nations. While Tehran claims its only targets are U.S. military bases within those countries, civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain have left regional leaders weighing a military counter-offensive.