An Israeli-US airstrike that reportedly killed staff inside a bank building in Tehran has pushed the West Asia conflict into a new economic phase, with Iran’s military command warning that banks and financial institutions across the region could now become targets.

The threat has raised alarm in major financial hubs such as Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The escalation comes amid fresh speculation over the health of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since taking power after the death of his father Ali Khamenei earlier in the war.