Qatari authorities have arrested more than 300 people for sharing images and what they described as “misleading information” during days of attacks by Iran, the interior ministry said on Monday.

The arrests echo measures across the Gulf as Iran targets airports, military bases, energy installations and residential areas with daily drones and missiles.

Those arrested “filmed and circulated video clips and published misleading information and rumours that could stir public opinion”, a statement said.

The people of “various nationalities” were held by the Department for Combating Economic and Cyber Crimes at the ministry´s General Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

The announcement follows a spate of arrests elsewhere in the region.

In Bahrain, four people were arrested for “filming and broadcasting clips about the effects of Iranian attacks and spreading false news”, the interior ministry said on Friday.

And in Kuwait, authorities on Saturday said three people had been arrested over a video showing them mocking the situation in the country.

Residents in the United Arab Emirates have received text messages warning of possible legal action for sharing sensitive images or “reposting unreliable information”.

The UAE attorney general’s office also warned against “filming, publishing, or circulating images and videos documenting incident sites or damage caused by falling projectiles or shrapnel”, the Emirates News Agency said.

Saudi Arabia has issued similar warnings.

Despite the warnings, images of missiles, drones and the fallout of the war continue to circulate on social media and in group chats.

The first week of the US military campaign against Iran has cost around $6 billion, including about $4 billion spent on munitions and advanced missile interceptors, as Pentagon officials told Congress additional funding will likely be needed to sustain operations and replenish stockpiles.

The figures were disclosed during congressional discussions this week.

According to a report in The New York Times, about 4,000 Iranian targets have been struck, including missile launchers, naval vessels and air defence systems, significantly weakening Tehran’s ability to retaliate.

Gen Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said Iran’s ballistic missile launches have dropped by about 90% since the start of the conflict, while drone attacks have declined by roughly 83%.

Despite the losses, Iran still retains significant military capability, including an estimated half of its missile arsenal, he added.

Lawmakers in Washington are preparing for a possible supplemental funding request from the administration in the coming weeks as the rapid spending comes under scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans.

Critics have warned that expensive interceptor missiles — some costing millions of dollars each — are being used at a pace that could strain the US defence industrial base and create shortages in other strategic theatres.

The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran, reportedly martyring more than 1,200 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials.

Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Gulf countries, US bases, diplomatic facilities and military personnel across the region, as well as multiple Israeli cities.

The escalation has also raised concerns about global energy supplies as maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route carrying about 20 million barrels of oil per day, has declined sharply.

New York City Police said on Sunday a device that was ignited and thrown during protests outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home over the weekend was an explosive that could have caused serious injury or death.

The device, a jar filled with nuts, bolts and screws and wrapped in black tape with a fuse, was thrown by a counterprotester on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, but it extinguished itself before any explosion, according to a statement from New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Two people were in custody, Tisch said.

The device was one of two that were thrown during the protests, which were led by two opposing groups, according to police. The second device was still being examined, Tisch said.

Far-right activist Jake Lang led a protest on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion – where Mamdani lives with his wife – against a purported Islamic “takeover” of New York City and against public prayer by Muslims. Tisch said at a press conference on Saturday that she did not believe Mamdani and his wife were home at the time.

In a statement on Sunday, Mamdani condemned Lang’s protest but said the violence that followed it was more disturbing.

“Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” Mamdani said. “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”

Lang’s protest, which consisted of about 20 people, was opposed by a far larger counterprotest of 125 people aimed at running “Nazis” out of New York, Tisch said at a press conference on Saturday. Police said Emir Balat, 18, was among the counterprotesters before he lit and threw the device.

The device rolled near police before it extinguished itself, Tisch said on Saturday. Balat ran after throwing it and eventually lit and dropped a second device in the street, according to Tisch.

Balat and another man, whom police on Sunday identified as Ibrahim Kayumi, were arrested at the scene, Tisch said. New York police are working with the FBI and the US Department of Justice on the investigation.

Tisch said on Saturday there was no immediate indication the incident was related to the US attack on Iran, but that authorities were still investigating.