\nTrump, Threatens, Major, Retaliation, After<\/span>
\nTrump Threatens Major Retaliation After Iran Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia, Gulf.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
By Juba Global News Network Staff<\/strong> President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran late Thursday, vowing \u201cmajor new retaliation\u201d following a fresh wave of Iranian drone and cruise-missile attacks that targeted Saudi oil facilities, U.S. military sites in the Gulf, and civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates. The president\u2019s blunt message\u2014\u201cWatch what happens\u201d\u2014posted on Truth Social and echoed in a brief Oval Office statement, came as black smoke still rose over industrial zones near Dubai and Saudi air defenses intercepted dozens of incoming threats in the skies above the Kingdom\u2019s Eastern Province.<\/p>\n The latest Iranian barrage, which U.S. and Gulf officials say began shortly after midnight local time, represents the most widespread direct assault on America\u2019s Arab allies since the war erupted on February 28. It follows days of escalating tit-for-tat strikes that have already crippled much of Iran\u2019s missile production, naval assets, and energy export terminals while spreading chaos across global oil markets and international aviation.<\/p>\n Scope of the Latest Iranian Attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ministry of Defense reported that its Patriot and THAAD systems, supported by U.S.-provided radar and command links, successfully intercepted more than 45 Iranian Shahed-136 drones and several cruise missiles aimed at Aramco facilities in Abqaiq and Ras Tanura. Debris from downed drones caused minor fires at a petrochemical plant near Jubail, but no casualties were reported on Saudi soil.<\/p>\n In the UAE, the situation was more severe. Multiple explosions rocked industrial and port areas near Jebel Ali and the Dubai-Al Ain highway corridor. Dubai Police confirmed at least nine injuries and widespread property damage after interception fragments ignited fuel depots and warehouses. Sirens sounded across the emirate for nearly two hours as residents sheltered in place.<\/p>\n Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy\u2019s Fifth Fleet headquarters, activated full air-raid protocols after radar detected inbound threats; no impacts were confirmed, but the alert forced temporary closure of Bahrain International Airport. Oman reported a single downed drone fragment striking a residential compound near Muscat, killing two foreign workers.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the operation\u2014\u201cTrue Promise III\u201d\u2014targeted \u201cU.S. occupation bases and their collaborators\u201d and achieved \u201cprecise hits on military and economic targets.\u201d State television broadcast footage of drone swarms launching from western Iran before dawn.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s Response: \u201cWatch What Happens\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One, President Trump described the Iranian strikes as \u201ccowardly, desperate, and stupid.\u201d He continued:<\/p>\n \u201cThey hit our friends in Saudi Arabia and the UAE\u2014big mistake. Very big. We\u2019ve already taken out most of their missiles, their navy is gone, their leadership is hiding. Now they poke the hornet\u2019s nest again. Watch what happens. It\u2019s going to be major. Very major.\u201d<\/p>\n The president refused to detail potential U.S. responses but emphasized that \u201call options are on the table\u201d and that any further attacks on Gulf allies would be met with \u201coverwhelming force.\u201d White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were seen entering the Situation Room shortly after the president\u2019s remarks, signaling high-level deliberations on next steps.<\/p>\n U.S. military officials confirmed that additional F-22 Raptors, EA-18G Growlers, and refueling tankers have been surged to bases in Qatar and Jordan in recent days. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, already operating in the Arabian Sea, moved closer to the Strait of Hormuz entrance, though Pentagon spokespeople stressed the repositioning was \u201cdefensive and precautionary.\u201d<\/p>\n Why the Gulf Matters So Much<\/strong><\/p>\n The attacks underscore Iran\u2019s strategy of imposing asymmetric costs on Washington\u2019s regional partners to erode their willingness to host U.S. forces and support the campaign against Tehran. By striking economic heartlands\u2014oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and commercial hubs in the UAE\u2014Iran aims to drive up global energy prices, trigger capital flight from Gulf financial centers, and create domestic political pressure in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to distance themselves from the conflict.<\/p>\n The timing is particularly damaging: the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to most commercial traffic, oil is trading above $100 per barrel, and the International Energy Agency has warned of the most severe supply shock in modern history. Any sustained damage to Saudi or UAE export capacity would push prices far higher and deepen the global economic fallout already being felt in soaring gasoline, airfares, and shipping costs.<\/p>\n Regional and International Reactions<\/strong><\/p>\n Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman convened an emergency meeting of the Supreme Economic Council and issued a statement affirming that the Kingdom \u201cwill defend its sovereignty and vital interests by all necessary means.\u201d The UAE\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the strikes \u201ca reckless escalation that threatens the stability of the entire region and global energy security.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel, which has conducted over 200 strikes inside Iran in the past 24 hours, offered intelligence-sharing support to Gulf partners and reiterated its commitment to \u201cjoint defense against Iranian aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia and China condemned the U.S. and Israeli campaign while urging \u201cimmediate cessation of hostilities.\u201d The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency session for Friday afternoon New York time at the request of Iran, though diplomats expect another round of vetoes and veto threats.<\/p>\n Outlook: Escalation or Deterrence?<\/strong><\/p>\n Military analysts are divided on what comes next. Some believe the U.S. will respond with targeted strikes on remaining Iranian drone production facilities, coastal missile batteries, or naval assets in Bandar Abbas. Others warn that a large-scale U.S. operation risks drawing Iran into mining the Strait outright or activating dormant proxy networks in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria on a scale not yet seen.<\/p>\n For now, the president\u2019s words hang heavy over an already volatile region: \u201cWatch what happens.\u201d In the third week of a war that has already redrawn Middle East security, redrawn energy markets, and upended global travel, those four words may soon translate into actions that determine whether the conflict spirals further or begins\u2014however tenuously\u2014to stabilize.<\/p>\n Juba Global News Network teams in Riyadh, Dubai, and Washington are monitoring developments hour by hour.<\/p>\n Stay informed with real-time updates from the Gulf and beyond.<\/strong> #Trump #Iran #SaudiArabia #GulfAttacks #MiddleEastWar #IranWar #BreakingNews #JubaGlobal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Juba Global News Network Staff JubaGlobal.com March 13, 2026 President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran late Thursday, vowing \u201cmajor new reta<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,643,1,784,806],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-more-articles","category-news","category-northamerica","category-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6914"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22150,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6914\/revisions\/22150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>
March 13, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/03\/IMG_3789.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n
Visit JubaGlobal.com<\/strong><\/p>\n