SAN DIEGO — The Iran war entered its ninth day Sunday with a troubling new escalation: attacks on civilian infrastructure. Bahrain accused Iran of striking one of its desalination plants — facilities that supply drinking water to millions of Gulf residents — as oil depots smoldered in Tehran from overnight Israeli strikes.

Saudi Arabia reported its first deaths in the conflict, saying a military projectile struck a residential area and killed two foreign nationals, with 12 others wounded. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, walked back earlier conciliatory remarks and vowed to intensify the country's response. "The more pressure they impose on us, the stronger our response will naturally be," he said Sunday.

For San Diego's military community — home to Naval Base San Diego, MCAS Miramar, Camp Pendleton, and the Navy's Third Fleet — the war is not a distant headline. Seven U.S. service members have now been killed in the conflict, which launched with coordinated U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 that killed Iran's Supreme Leader. At least 1,230 people in Iran, 397 in Lebanon, and 11 in Israel have been killed since fighting began, according to officials.

President Donald Trump told ABC News he wants a say in who leads Iran after the war and commented that U.S. ground troops remain a possibility — a statement that drew immediate attention from military families. The U.S. strikes have been conducted from naval vessels and bases in the region, not from Gulf Arab governments.

Global markets remain unsettled. Oil prices have surged past $90 a barrel, and analysts have warned prices could top $100 within days — a dynamic already rippling through San Diego County gas stations, which recorded their highest single-day price increase since 2023 on Friday, pushing the county average toward $5 per gallon. Airfare prices are also expected to rise as jet fuel costs climb. Families with loved ones stationed in the region are encouraged to monitor official military communications and consular advisories.