WATCH LIVE: UAE Banking And Delivery Apps Brought Down

WATCH LIVE as Gambakwe looks at the key events in the Iran War for today:

Saudi Arabia: Reported its first civilian deaths on 8 March when a projectile struck a residential maintenance site in Al-Kharj, killing two foreign workers. Saudi air defences also intercepted ballistic missiles targeting the Prince Sultan Air Base.

1. Key events for today (8 March 2026)

• Israeli Strikes on Tehran: Late Saturday night (7 March), the Israeli Air Force launched a large-scale strike targeting Iranian oil and fuel infrastructure for the first time. Major targets included the Shahr Rey, Shahran, and Nobonyad oil depots; the Abbas Abad and Shenzar industrial zones; and military refineries and an underground bunker used by top military leadership.

• Iranian Retaliation: Throughout Sunday, Iran continued its “Operation True Promise IV,” launching missile and drone waves at regional targets:

• Bahrain: A drone attack damaged a desalination plant and a building housing Emirati and Qatari naval forces.

• United Arab Emirates: Ballistic and cruise missiles targeted Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports.

• Kuwait: A “wave of drones” damaged fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport and targeted the Ali Al-Salem air base.

• Maritime Attacks: The IRGC claimed to have struck two tankers, the Prima and the Louise P, in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

• Aviation Status: Qatar Airways began limited relief and repatriation flights on 8 March to major European hubs. Lufthansa Group extended its suspension of flights to several regional destinations until 8 March. Turkish Airlines has cancelled flights to numerous countries in the region, including the UAE.

2. Disruption of technology infrastructure

• Kinetic Strikes on Data Centres: Data centres have emerged as a significant new strategic target.

• On 2 March, Iranian drone strikes targeted three Amazon Web Services (AWS) facilities: two in the UAE were directly struck, and one in Bahrain sustained damage from a nearby strike.

• On 5 March, U.S. and Israeli forces bombed data centres in Tehran as part of the broader campaign to dismantle Iran’s critical infrastructure.

• Subsea Cable Sabotage: Critical fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz (like the EIG and AAE-1) have been severed, forcing the region onto low-bandwidth satellite backups.

• Major Cyber-Operations:

• The pro-Iranian group Cyber Support Front claimed to have infiltrated over 160 data centres across Israel.

• Large-scale cyberattacks, concurrent with military operations, temporarily paralyzed major Iranian state-run news agencies, including IRNA and ISNA.

• The pro-Iranian group Handala claimed to have breached Saudi Aramco facilities.

• Internet Connectivity Collapse:

• In Iran, kinetic strikes combined with cyberattacks resulted in a near-total internet blackout, with connectivity dropping to as low as 1-4% of normal levels.

• Despite 50,000 Starlink terminals being active, Iran has successfully jammed 40,000 of them using localized high-power transmitters.

3. Disruption of banking services

• Stock Exchange Closures: Both the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM) were ordered to close for two days (2–3 March) to preserve market stability amidst the volatility.

• Central Bank Intervention: The UAE Central Bank issued emergency waivers on 5 March allowing local banks to utilize foreign data centres to bypass damaged domestic infrastructure.

• Major Bank Outages:

• First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB): The country’s largest lender reported multi-day outages for its mobile banking application, forcing customers to use physical branches.

• Emirates NBD: The UAE’s second-largest bank saw its phone banking and digital channels impacted by a “region-wide IT disruption.” It waived fees for ATM withdrawals and card replacements until 31 March 2026 to assist customers.

• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB): Reported “technical issues” affecting its mobile app and customer platforms due to power and connectivity failures at regional data centres.

• High-Frequency Trading “Flash Freezes”: GPS time-spoofing has broken the “timestamps” required for stock trading and inter-bank transfers, causing multiple “flash freezes” in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

4. Other affected services

• Aviation: Over 15,000 flights have been cancelled. Airlines are navigating “blind” due to intense GPS jamming and spoofing, forcing them to fly manual, high-risk routes, rely on backup inertial navigation systems, or remain grounded entirely. Major carriers like Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways have suspended or severely limited scheduled services.

• Connectivity & App Economy: Delivery apps, ride-sharing, and logistics in major UAE cities are non-functional due to the lack of reliable positioning data, effectively halting the “app economy.”

• Maritime Navigation: Over 600 jamming incidents have been recorded off UAE ports. Signal spoofing has erroneously placed vessels at locations like Zayed International Airport, creating significant navigation hazards.

• Other Regional Impacts:

• Saudi Arabia: Reported its first civilian deaths on 8 March when a projectile struck a residential maintenance site in Al-Kharj, killing two foreign workers. Air defences also intercepted missiles targeting Prince Sultan Air Base.

• Bahrain: A desalination plant was damaged in a drone attack.

5. How Iran is jamming and disrupting services

• Geographic Advantage: The Persian Gulf is extremely narrow (approx. 34km at the Strait of Hormuz), giving Iranian land-based transmitters a direct line-of-sight to major UAE hubs. High-powered EW complexes along its southern coast (e.g., Bandar Abbas) can “spill over” signals across the water.

• Sophisticated “Spoofing”: Iran does not just block signals but manipulates them. By broadcasting a stronger false signal, it forces receivers to lock onto incorrect data, such as showing ships at an airport or on Iranian land. This disrupts both navigation and GPS-dependent timestamps for banking.

• Mobile and Aerial EW Platforms:

• IRGC vessels in the Strait of Hormuz act as mobile jamming stations, scrambling GPS and AIS systems.

• Advanced Russian-supplied Khibiny-M electronic warfare pods on Su-35 jets are designed to jam advanced Western radar and navigation systems.

• “White Noise” over Tehran: During the Assembly of Experts meeting, the area around Qom and government buildings was placed under a “total signal cone” to prevent any unauthorized transmissions from leaking the results of the leadership vote.

• Starlink Jamming: Using high-powered mobile jamming units, the IRGC has targeted specific frequencies used by Starlink to prevent “unfiltered” news from leaving the country.

6. Selection of the new Supreme leader

• The Assembly of Experts: This body of 88 Islamic jurists is responsible for selecting the new Supreme Leader. A candidate must secure at least two-thirds of the members’ votes in a secret process. The body is under intense pressure to maintain stability during the ongoing regional conflict.

• Key Figures:

• Ayatollah Hashem Hosseini Bushehri: First Deputy Chairman and the designated official to announce the next Supreme Leader.

• Ayatollah Alireza Arafi: Deputy Chairman and a leading contender for the permanent role.

• Ayatollah Mohammad Movahedi-Kermani: The 93-year-old Chairman of the Assembly.

• Ayatollah Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri: An ultra-hardline member who confirmed that a majority consensus on the successor has been reached.

• Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda: A senior member who claimed the leadership vote has already successfully taken place.

• Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir: A member who proposed alternative voting methods due to the regional instability.

7. Other important aspects

• Disinformation Campaigns:

• Iranian state media has significantly increased its use of AI-doctored images to claim battlefield victories. NewsGuard identified at least 18 false war-related claims within the first week of the conflict.

• Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has issued public warnings against citizens photographing impact points, labeling such actions as aiding “American-Zionist mercenaries”.

• Military & Strategic Challenges:

• Depleting U.S. Stockpiles: Pentagon leaks suggest the U.S. could run low on critical interceptor missiles within weeks if high-intensity strikes continue, forcing commanders to prioritize “high-threat” missile sites over “nuisance” jamming units.

• Civilian Shielding: Many of Iran’s mobile jamming transmitters are placed near sensitive civilian areas or religious sites in cities like Qom to protect them from retaliation.

• Dual-Sided “Noise”: The UAE and its allies are also deploying defensive jamming to protect against incoming drone strikes, resulting in a region “full of noise” from multiple sources, further complicating the environment.