{"id":59445,"date":"2026-03-05T12:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T16:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-tensions-escalate-iran-missile-strikes-hit-bahrain-refinery-as-trump-demands-say-in-succession\/59445\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T12:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T16:38:21","slug":"middle-east-tensions-escalate-iran-missile-strikes-hit-bahrain-refinery-as-trump-demands-say-in-succession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-tensions-escalate-iran-missile-strikes-hit-bahrain-refinery-as-trump-demands-say-in-succession\/59445\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East Tensions Escalate: Iran Missile Strikes Hit Bahrain Refinery as Trump Demands Say in Succession"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Iranian missile strikes hit a Bapco Energies refinery unit in Bahrain<\/strong>, prompting the main international maritime workers&#39; union to declare the <strong>Strait of Hormuz a &quot;warlike zone.&quot;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> asserted that the U.S. must play a direct role<\/strong> in selecting Iran\u2019s next leader, explicitly rejecting <strong>Mojtaba Khamenei<\/strong> as an acceptable successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regional instability intensified as explosions were reported in Tehran<\/strong>, while missile threats triggered sirens in <strong>Dubai<\/strong> and placed the UAE&#39;s <strong>Fujairah<\/strong> port on high alert.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Indian Air Force (IAF) launched a search and rescue mission<\/strong> after a <strong>Su-30 MKI<\/strong> fighter aircraft disappeared from radar contact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Transatlantic relations reached a breaking point<\/strong> as EU\u2019s Kallas warned of a foundational shift in U.S. policy, following <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a>\u2019s verbal attacks on <strong>Spain<\/strong> and <strong>UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Missile Strikes and Maritime Red Zones<\/h2>\n<p>The Middle East moved closer to a full-scale regional war on Thursday after <strong>Bahrain<\/strong> confirmed an Iranian missile strike hit a unit of the <strong>Bapco Energies<\/strong> refinery in <strong>Maameer<\/strong>. While officials stated the fire was contained with no injuries and that refinery operations continue, the attack has sent shockwaves through energy markets.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the escalating violence, the main international maritime workers&#39; union officially declared the <strong>Mideast Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> as a <strong>&quot;warlike operations area.&quot;<\/strong> This designation is expected to significantly spike insurance premiums for tankers and disrupt global oil supply chains, impacting the United States Oil Fund (<a href=\"\/stock\/USO\">USO<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously, the <strong>United Arab Emirates (UAE)<\/strong> faced direct threats, with sirens ringing out in <strong>Dubai<\/strong> and authorities warning that the critical bunkering hub of <strong>Fujairah<\/strong> is facing an imminent missile threat. These developments follow reports of multiple explosions heard across the Iranian capital, <strong>Tehran<\/strong>, suggesting a widening scope of kinetic engagements.<\/p>\n<h2>Trump Demands Control Over Iran Succession<\/h2>\n<p>President Trump has signaled a radical shift in U.S. foreign policy, telling <em>Axios<\/em> that the United States must be <strong>&quot;personally involved&quot;<\/strong> in picking the next Supreme Leader of Iran. Trump identified <strong>Mojtaba Khamenei<\/strong> as the most likely successor to the aging Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but labeled that outcome <strong>&quot;unacceptable.&quot;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This interventionist stance has already begun to alienate long-standing allies. Trump reportedly slammed <strong>Spain<\/strong> as a &quot;loser&quot; over NATO underfunding and criticized <strong>UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/strong> for blocking U.S. access to British bases for operations against Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The EU\u2019s <strong>Kaja Kallas<\/strong> remarked that this shift in U.S. policy has <strong>&quot;rocked the transatlantic relationship to its foundation.&quot;<\/strong> Investors are closely monitoring the SPDR <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/markets\/sp500\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&amp;P 500<\/a> ETF Trust (<a href=\"\/stock\/SPY\">SPY<\/a>) as geopolitical uncertainty weighs on global equity sentiment.<\/p>\n<h2>Regional Military and Diplomatic Shifts<\/h2>\n<p>In a surprise move, <strong>Lebanon\u2019s Information Minister<\/strong> announced a total ban on the <strong>Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<\/strong> within its borders. The Lebanese government has pledged to arrest any present members of the IRGC, marking a historic pivot away from Iranian influence in the Levant.<\/p>\n<p>In Asia, the <strong>Indian Air Force<\/strong> is currently conducting an emergency search and rescue operation for a missing <strong>Su-30 MKI<\/strong>. The fighter jet reportedly lost radar contact during a mission, though officials have not yet linked the disappearance to the broader Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Aviation sectors are also feeling the immediate impact of the instability. <strong>Aegean Airlines (<a href=\"\/stock\/AEGN\">AEGN<\/a>)<\/strong> announced the cancellation of all flights to <strong>Tel Aviv<\/strong> until at least the morning of March 13, joining a growing list of carriers avoiding the region&#39;s increasingly dangerous airspace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Iranian missile strikes hit a Bapco Energies refinery unit in Bahrain, prompting the main international maritime workers&#39; union 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