Blasts and sirens rang across Israel, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as air defenses tried to stop waves of Iranian drones and missiles. At least two refineries were set ablaze by drone strikes or falling debris. The attacks occurred as President Trump renewed threats against Iran on Day 35 of the war.
Late Thursday on social media, Trump wrote, “Our military… hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” He added that “New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
Iranian officials said one of the long bridges linking Tehran to Karaj was destroyed overnight. Iranian security forces later identified the B1 bridge west of Tehran — under construction when hit in an attack late Wednesday — and said eight people were killed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned it would retaliate by striking major bridges in the Gulf region.
Among Friday’s reported Iranian strikes, Kuwait’s largest oil refinery, Mina Al-Ahmadi, caught fire after a drone attack, with several units burning; emergency teams worked to contain the blaze and no injuries were reported. UAE authorities said falling debris from an intercepted attack sparked a fire at the Habshan gas facility. Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said it intercepted and destroyed about a dozen drones. Israel’s health ministry reported 148 people treated in the last day, mostly for minor injuries, and 6,594 people treated since the war began.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted that striking civilian infrastructure “will not compel Iranians to surrender.” Some Iranians critical of the regime have also condemned threats to civilian targets; opposition figure Reza Pahlavi warned such attacks would only harm ordinary people.
The exchanges of strikes and threats are occurring amid global efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that Iran has blocked in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes that began Feb. 28. The blockade has driven up prices for oil, gas and fertilizer. Brent crude rose 7.8% to about US$109.03 per barrel on Friday — roughly a 50% increase since the war began.
Leaders from about 40 countries met virtually at the U.K.’s request to discuss diplomatic and economic measures to pressure Iran to reopen the strait, but they reached no specific agreement. The meeting, hosted by U.K. foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, included European countries, Canada and the UAE but did not include the U.S. or Israel. Cooper said Iran was “hijacking a global shipping route” and warned of wide economic impacts, noting traffic through the strait had dropped from about 150 vessels a day to 10–20. The group discussed diplomatic pressure and possible sanctions and rejected any Iranian attempt to impose tolls on passing ships. Cooper also said military planners from attending countries would meet next week to consider defensive options for the strait once active fighting subsides.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the idea of using force to reopen the strait “unrealistic,” saying it would leave cargo ships exposed to Iranian attacks. Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said they would cooperate on efforts to reopen the passage. U.S. allies have repeatedly said they will not get militarily involved in the current intense phase of the war.
Investigative outlet Bellingcat released a report claiming the UAE downplayed or mischaracterized several Iranian attacks. Using open-source material, Bellingcat said a migrant worker’s video appears to show an Iranian drone hitting fuel storage tanks in Fujairah in early March, with satellite imagery showing three destroyed tanks, while the emirate’s media office described the incident as a fire from debris following an interception. Bellingcat also cited apparent strikes on Dubai’s airport and a hotel that were not acknowledged as such, and satellite imagery showing two fires more than a mile apart at Dubai’s port when officials had reported just one.
Reporting contributions came from Istanbul, London, Dubai and Washington, D.C.
