Photo- Israeli strike targets a building adjacent to Hezbollah’s Qard al-Hassan bank in Beirut on Monday
Turkey, the UAE and Qatar all say they have intercepted Iranian missiles on Monday, while Israel says it has detected more attacks
Israel says it’s carrying out attacks on three parts of Iran, while also hitting Lebanon
On Sunday, Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei – the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed nine days ago by US-Israeli strikes – as its new supreme leader
“No one accepts him except the supporters of this regime,” one person in Iran tells BBC.
An Iranian strike on Turkey would be a dramatic escalation in the war in Iran because Turkey, unlike U.S. partners in the Gulf that Iran has targeted, is a member of NATO. An attack on Turkey could activate the alliance’s mutual defense provision, pulling other countries into the war.
Iranians fleeing to Turkey
With airspace closed in Iran, the Kapikoy border crossing into eastern Turkey is still one of the few routes connecting Iranians to the rest of the world.
They have been crossing over throughout the day to wait out the war – though even on Turkish soil they remain fearful of the regime.
“I’m not allowed to speak to journalists,” says one woman in a black baseball cap pushing a wheely suitcase with her family in tow.
Another man explained he didn’t want to talk to us, especially at the border.
“We have eyes on us – even here, we are being watched. It’s not safe,” he says, sitting on the curb as he waits for a ride to the nearest city, Van.
A mother and son tell me they had driven overnight from the capital Tehran after oil facilities were hit.
“Everywhere was so dark during the day, there was smoke everywhere. The air was toxic and I was coughing,” he says
The man says people in the capital are still trying to go about their daily business, but in general they are nervous and angry all the time. “People can’t tolerate anything anymore,” he says. “The smallest things are setting people off.”
Troop deployment
Donald Trump told the New York Post he is “nowhere near” making a decision on whether to order US troops into Iran.
Asked whether he would consider sending soldiers into the country to secure its stockpile of uranium, Trump says: “We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it.”
He also repeats that he is “not happy” with Mojtaba
Israel targets Hezbollah’s financial institution in Lebanon
Israel is intensifying not just the scale but also the scope of its airstrikes in Lebanon. Today, it targeted several branches of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution across Beirut.
By midday local time three branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan had been hit after Israel warned it was proactively targeting the institution, which it accuses of directly funding Hezbollah’s military activities.
Hezbollah says the bank, as it describes it, provides vital financial services to businesses and personal clients across Lebanon. The business has branches across the city.
We were passing by the edge of Dahieh, the Hezbollah-controlled district of southern Beirut, just after one strike destroyed a building. It was still ablaze and several nearby buildings were badly damaged.
Democrats demand reversal of Russian oil sales into India as energy prices soar
Congressional Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration immediately reverse a sanctions waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil as the Iran war wreaks havoc on global energy markets.
“Your recent decision to provide a 30-day waiver is dangerous, self-defeating, and indefensible,” Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., wrote in a letter Monday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which was shared exclusively with CNBC. “This waiver constitutes an inexplicable act of material benefit to the enemy.”
The Treasury Department last week issued a temporary 30-day sanctions carve-out to allow India to buy Russian oil, an effort to ease skyrocketing oil prices caused by the war and the traffic standstill at the Strait of Hormuz.
After the sanctions waiver was issued, however, it was reported that Russia is assisting Iran in targeting U.S. ships, aircraft and bases in the region. Gallego and Liccardo warned in the letter against the temporary lifting of the sanctions, which rewards Russia with a windfall as it helps to target U.S. troops in the Middle East.
“Rather than performing the necessary contingency planning that would keep India and other allies supplied with alternative sources, the Administration’s hapless approach has allowed Russia and other adversaries to profit from oil reserves previously constrained by sanctions, supporting Russian efforts to harm U.S. troops and thwart U.S. intelligence,” Gallego and Liccardo wrote in their letter. “By providing this waiver, you have signaled that the United States will reward attacks on our troops, not deter them.”
