Iran continued on Sunday to target Gulf countries in retaliation against the US-Israeli offensive, with explosions heard in Bahrain's capital on the 16th day of the war.

The loud explosions were heard in the early hours of the day in Manama by two AFP journalists on the scene.

Since the start of the war on February 28, Bahrain, home to US military bases, says it has intercepted 125 Iranian missiles and 203 Iranian drones, and reports two deaths. In the other Gulf countries, all targeted, these attacks have resulted in 24 deaths.

Criticized for the presence of American interests – military or economic – on their soil, these countries see their image as oases of security tarnished in a region of recurring conflicts.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence also indicated on Sunday that it had destroyed ten drones in the east of the country and the region of the capital Riyadh, while that of the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted missiles and drones targeting the country.

New missiles fired from Iran towards Israel were also stopped on Sunday by the anti-aircraft defense system, according to the army, which at this stage reports no casualties on Israeli soil.

- Call to escort oil tankers -

The United States is still seeking to restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. This strategic maritime passage, through which a fifth of the world's hydrocarbon production normally passes, much of it destined for Asia, is almost completely blocked by Iran.

The Islamic Republic regime is thus seeking to destabilize the global economy and fuel the surge in the price of a barrel of oil.

While promising to strike "very hard in the coming week," US President Donald Trump reiterated that the United States "has defeated and completely destroyed Iran, both militarily and economically." Nevertheless, on Saturday he also urged other countries, such as "China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom," to send military vessels to the Strait of Gibraltar, as the United States has done, to escort the oil tankers on their journey.

After claiming responsibility for an attack on military infrastructure, he also threatened to target Iran's oil infrastructure on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, home to its main oil export hub. Tehran immediately responded to this threat, vowing to "reduce to ashes" US-linked oil infrastructure in the region.

Iran will target American companies in the Middle East if its energy infrastructure is bombed, its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned on Saturday.

- More than 2,000 dead -

It is in Iran and Lebanon, drawn into the war since March 2 by the pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah and massively bombarded by Israel, that the majority of the more than 2,000 deaths recorded by the authorities over the past two weeks have been killed.

Lebanese authorities want to form a delegation to negotiate a cessation of hostilities with their neighbor, according to an official source.

The United States and Israel claim to have significantly weakened the Iranian regime. But leaders of the Islamic Republic defied them on Friday by marching in the heart of Tehran. Nevertheless, Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader who succeeded his father on March 8 after his father was killed on the first day of the war, has still not appeared in public. Wounded, according to the Americans, his condition remains uncertain.

"There is no problem with the new supreme leader," the Iranian foreign minister asserted on Saturday, stating that he "is carrying out his duties in accordance with the Constitution."

- Sporting repercussions -

Entering its third week, the conflict is also having repercussions in the world of sport.

As a sign of growing skepticism about a quick resolution to the conflict, the two Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for Bahrain on April 10-12 and Saudi Arabia on April 17-19 have been cancelled.

The Iraqi football team will, however, travel to Mexico to play its World Cup 2026 playoff match, the president of the national federation confirmed on Saturday, despite the closure of Iraqi airspace until April 1 due to the conflict.

Also in football news, three more members of the Iranian women's team have finally decided to return to Iran, after applying for and being granted asylum in Australia, according to the Australian Home Affairs Minister on Sunday.