The Iran war is keeping oil prices above $100 and the Strait of Hormuz is paralyzed despite Trump’s demands.

Israel’s military said in a statement on Monday that it had destroyed a plane used by Iran’s supreme leader in a “direct strike” at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport.

“The plane was used by Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the terrorist regime of Iran, additional senior officials and the Iranian military,” said the Israel Defense Forces, adding that “the destruction of the plane undermines the power of the leadership of the Iranian regime and the allied countries, its efforts to strengthen the military and its ability to renew its power, another effect of the regime’s strategy.”

New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the last Iranian leader mentioned in the IDF statement, has not been seen in public since being handed the leadership more than a week ago.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that the new leader was “injured and possibly disabled,” possibly in the strike that killed his father, although U.S. officials have not confirmed his condition.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said they were working on Monday to contain a fire caused by a strike by planes traveling to the Fujairah Oil Industries Zone.

The Fujairah regional government said no injuries had been reported, but did not provide details on the extent of damage caused by the burning of fuel infrastructure in the coastal region.

Iran’s retaliatory fire has targeted the UAE in the wrong direction, with some 309 missiles and nearly 1,600 drones targeted in the Gulf region since the war began. Most of the weapons are intercepted or misfired, but six people have been killed in the UAE so far, and there is growing concern that at least some Persian Gulf nations are dangerously low on interceptors used to shoot down Iranian missiles.

Israel’s military said on Monday with the US-Iran joint war in its third week, the Islamic Republic’s attack destroyed more than 70% of the state’s missile arsenal and “reduced more than 85% of the state’s defense and observation capabilities.”

“We have reached more than 100 production and weapons targets. We have reached more than 500 control and control targets, which undermines the regime’s ability to control its attacks. 400 strikes have been carried out across Iran,” said the spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani.

“We continue to hold the operational advantage over the Iranian regime, establishing the first 24 hours and maintaining until now the security of the airspace, suppressing their offensive power in real time through the integration of intelligence advantage, aerial advantage, eye in the sky, and high-level intelligence in real time produced by thousands of Israelis working around the clock,” he said.

Shoshani said Israel is “very focused on achieving success in a short period of time and is ready to work for as long as necessary,” and he “pointed to a drop in morale and even refusal to obey orders” among the Iranian military.

He said there had also been “massive strikes on the Iranian missile industry, effectively eliminating their ability to produce missiles.”

The air defense of the United Arab Emirates intercepted Iranian missiles and drones on Monday, the Gulf country’s Ministry of Defense said.

“The UAE Air Defense Force is currently responding to threats from Iran,” the UAE Ministry of Defense said on social media.

Earlier, Dubai authorities said a “drone-related incident” had caused a fire near the airport and flights were temporarily suspended.

A “drone-related incident” caused a fuel tank fire near Dubai Airport on Monday and interfered with walking as Iran has kept its attacks in the Gulf, although authorities say flights are slowly resuming.

“Flights to and from DXB are gradually moving to selected destinations, following a temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure,” Dubai Airports said in a statement on social media.

The latest incident near what is usually a busy international airport involved a fuel tank, Dubai’s press office said, later adding that authorities contained the fire and reported no injuries.

Two witnesses told AFP that they saw black smoke billowing from the airport at around 10:00 Dubai time, a few hours after the incident.

A witness at Dubai airport told AFP that passengers waiting for their flights were taken to the ground floor after the attack for several hours.

Later, the UAE Ministry of Defense said its forces were working to intercept another round of Iranian missiles and drones.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a wave of 35 Iranian drones launched in its eastern region, which is home to large oil installations.

The Israeli military said early Monday that Iran fired missiles at Israel again.

A Palestinian citizen was killed on the outskirts of the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, when a missile hit their car on Monday, authorities said, as Iran continued its strikes on Gulf states following the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

“The authorities of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi responded to an incident that occurred in the Al Bahia area involving a missile strike on a civilian vehicle, which resulted in the death of one Palestinian,” Abu Dhabi’s press office said in a statement.

The Israeli army “started a limited and targeted operation against Hezbollah’s key strongholds in southern Lebanon,” the Israel Defense Forces said on social media on Monday.

The IDF said the move is “aimed at improving the forward defense area” and “is part of a broader defense effort to establish and strengthen the defense posture, including the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, to create an additional layer of security for the residents of northern Israel.”

Texas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw said sending US troops to the Middle East should not be considered “boots on the ground, especially with only 5,000 troops.”

The Pentagon plans to send up to 5,000 additional sailors and marines to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran escalates, CBS News reported last week.

Crenshaw, who served as a Navy SEAL, said “See the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that these soldiers may be deployed in different tasks that may be needed, including the evacuation of American citizens from allied countries in the Gulf.

“The rules of engagement will be very clear and effective and written down for our soldiers,” he said.

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President Trump is suggesting he may delay his much-anticipated visit to China at the end of the month as he seeks to increase pressure on Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and calm oil prices that have risen during the Iran war.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Mr. Trump said China’s reliance on oil from the Middle East meant it had to help with a new alliance it was trying to put together to move oil tankers through the crisis after threats from Iran disrupted the flow of oil around the world. Mr. Trump said “we would like to know” before the trip whether Beijing would help. “We may delay,” he said in an interview.

The uncertainty underscores how much the US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reshaped world politics in the past two weeks. Canceling a one-on-one visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could have major economic consequences: Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained since both sides threatened the other with higher tariffs last year.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Lin Jian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, told a press conference on Monday that China and the US are “continuing to communicate about President Trump’s visit to China,” but he did not address Mr. Trump’s pressure.

CBS/AFP

President Trump told reporters Sunday night that he has been in contact with “about seven” countries about helping to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but would not say which ones.

Mr. Trump insisted, “It’s something we don’t need. And these countries need it.”

Mr. Trump said oil prices “will go down as soon as you’re gone, and they’re going to be gone soon,” but he didn’t give a timeline.

“They have been reduced. But, I think we have done damage to them, at the moment, if we go now, it will take them 10 years and more to rebuild. But I still haven’t announced it,” said Mr.