Iran's Military Chief Gets New Orders from Supreme Leader Khamenei

During the strategic session, Ali Abdollahi, who leads the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, provided a comprehensive briefing to the Supreme Leader regarding the operational readiness of the nation's military wings. While the state-aligned media detailed the nature of the briefing, the Fars report did not specify the exact timing of the meeting.

Highlighting the military's posture following the receipt of these new directives, Abdollahi issued a stern warning against the US-Israel. "The armed forces are ready to confront any action by the American-Zionist (Israeli) enemies. In case of any error by the enemy, Iran's response will be swift, severe, and decisive," the commander was quoted as saying.

The reported engagement follows a high-level meeting held several days prior between Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mojtaba, who has avoided all public visibility since the outbreak of hostilities in the region. His prolonged seclusion has fuelled various theories and rumours regarding his "health and condition" following his appointment as supreme leader, with some reports even alleging that he sustained injuries during "US-Israeli strikes" on February 28 that resulted in the death of his father.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, a wave of fresh drone strikes was launched across the Gulf. These escalations align with prior warnings from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which had vowed to strike "enemy ships" and American installations should Iranian tankers be targeted.

Amidst this surge in activity, the United Arab Emirates confirmed it had actively defended its territory. "UAE air defence systems successfully engaged two UAVs launched from Iran," the UAE defence ministry stated in a post on X.

Similarly, the Kuwaiti military reported a "drone attack" targeting the nation during the early hours of the Sunday morning. "At dawn today, the armed forces detected a number of hostile drones in Kuwaiti airspace, which were dealt with in accordance with established procedures," the general staff of the army announced on X, though the statement stopped short of "specifying the origin" of the aircraft.

Maritime security was also compromised as a cargo ship was hit while navigating Gulf waters. The Qatari Defence Ministry confirmed that the vessel was targeted by a drone within its "territorial waters," leading to an onboard blaze. "A commercial cargo vessel in the country's territorial waters, northeast of Mesaieed Port, coming from Abu Dhabi, was targeted by a drone on Sunday morning. The incident resulted in a limited fire on board the vessel, with no reported injuries," the ministry stated via social media.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported that a bulk carrier had been struck by an "unknown projectile" approximately 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha.

While an "immediate claim of responsibility" was not forthcoming, Iran's Fars news agency, citing an anonymous source, asserted that "the bulk carrier that was struck near the coast of Qatar was sailing under the US flag and belonged to the United States," further heightening the friction between Tehran and Washington.

- ANI