Israel launched additional strikes in and around Tehran early Friday as Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and the war with Iran neared its fourth week.
The escalation followed Israel’s Wednesday bombing of Iran’s South Pars gas field, which rattled energy markets and widened the conflict’s spillover across the Gulf. Iran responded with attacks on multiple gas and oil facilities, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan energy hub. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from further strikes on Iranian energy sites to avoid wider disruption. Netanyahu said Israel acted alone in the South Pars attack and would “hold off on future attacks” at Trump’s request.
Overnight, Iranian drones struck Kuwait’s Mina Al‑Ahmadi refinery again, igniting fires at several operational units; firefighters worked to control the blaze and no injuries were reported. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said air defenses intercepted missile and drone threats from Iran, producing explosions that echoed across Dubai as worshippers observed Eid.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei — who has not appeared publicly since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the Feb. 28 strike that killed him — issued a rare statement saying Iran’s enemies “must have their security taken away.” The comment followed Israeli strikes that killed several senior Iranian officials this week: Iran’s intelligence chief Esmail Khatib, Ali Larijani (head of the Supreme National Security Council), Gholamreza Soleimani (commander of the Basij militia), and, early Friday, the IRGC’s top spokesperson, Ali Mohammed Naini, whom Israel said it “eliminated.”
Key developments
– Trump and Netanyahu spar over energy strikes: At the White House, Trump said he complained to Netanyahu about the South Pars attack and urged Israel to avoid hitting energy infrastructure. Netanyahu acknowledged the request and said Israel would comply.
– Claims about Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities: At a press conference, Netanyahu asserted Iran “has no ability to enrich uranium” and “no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” saying Israel is targeting industries that enable such programs. Those statements conflict with recent assessments by International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi, who told NPR that while military strikes have severely damaged facilities, some material and enrichment capacity likely remain.
– Political pushback in Israel: Opposition leader Yair Lapid questioned Netanyahu’s assertions, noting the key issue is what Iran might be able to do after the war ends.
– Kuwait refinery hit again: Mina Al‑Ahmadi, Kuwait’s largest refinery and a major target as the conflict’s energy front widens, was struck by drones overnight, causing fires at multiple units. The attack followed an earlier strike on the same gas facility the previous day.
– Iran’s leadership response: Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement demanded that security be stripped from Iran’s internal and external enemies, reacting to the killings of top officials.
– Israel confirms further killings: The Israeli military said it killed IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammed Naini early Friday, making him the fourth senior Iranian official killed by Israel this week.
– International reaction and calls for restraint: European Union leaders meeting in Brussels urged “de‑escalation and maximum restraint,” pressed for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and called for a moratorium on strikes targeting energy and water infrastructure amid rising energy prices. A joint statement by France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada condemned Iran’s recent attacks on commercial vessels and its attempts to block the Strait, calling for an end to mine‑laying and missile and drone attacks.
The situation remains fluid as both sides continue strikes and counterstrikes, with energy infrastructure and regional shipping lanes becoming central fronts in the widening conflict.