Blasts and air-raid sirens sounded across Israel, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Friday as air defenses engaged waves of Iranian drones and missiles. At least two refineries were set ablaze by drone strikes or falling debris, officials said, as the conflict entered its 35th day and President Trump renewed threats against Iran.
“Our military… hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” Trump posted late Thursday on social media. “Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” He added: “New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
Iranian officials said one of the longest bridges linking Tehran to Karaj was destroyed overnight. Iran’s security forces later identified the B1 bridge west of Tehran — under construction when it was hit in an attack late Wednesday — and said eight people were killed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned it would strike major bridges in the Gulf in retaliation.
Among Friday’s reported strikes, Kuwait’s Petroleum Corporation said several units at the country’s largest oil refinery, Mina Al-Ahmadi, were on fire after a drone attack; emergency teams worked to contain the blaze and no injuries were immediately reported. The Kuwait Army said its air defenses were responding to hostile missiles and drone threats. Authorities in the UAE reported a fire at the Habshan gas facility caused by falling debris from an intercepted attack, and Saudi Arabia said it intercepted about a dozen drones.
Israel’s health ministry reported treating 148 people in the preceding 24 hours — mostly for minor injuries — and said 6,594 people have received treatment since the war began.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that striking civilian infrastructure “will not compel Iranians to surrender.” The president’s threats to hit more civilian targets including power plants by next week have drawn criticism from many Iranians, even some opponents of the regime such as Reza Pahlavi, who argue such strikes would punish ordinary people.
The exchanges of strikes and threats came amid intensified international efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global oil shipments that Iran has blocked in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes that began Feb. 28. The blockade has pushed up prices for oil, gas and fertilizer; Brent crude rose 7.8% on Friday to US$109.03 per barrel, roughly a 50% increase since the conflict began.
Forty countries met virtually Thursday at the request of the British government to discuss diplomatic pressure and economic measures to pressure Iran to reopen the strait, but they did not agree on specific steps. The meeting, hosted by U.K. foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, included European delegations, Canada and the UAE, but not representatives of the U.S. or Israel. Cooper described Iran’s action as “hijacking a global shipping route” and said traffic through the strait had plunged from about 150 vessels a day to 10–20.
Attendees discussed diplomatic pressure and potential sanctions and rejected attempts by Iran to impose tolls on ships. Cooper said military planners from participating countries would meet next week to consider defensive capabilities to secure the strait once major fighting subsides, and officials said they would work with the International Maritime Organization to assist about 20,000 sailors and thousands of ships stranded there.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the idea of using force to reopen the strait — a course suggested by Trump — “unrealistic,” warning it would leave cargo ships vulnerable to Iranian attacks. Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said they would cooperate on efforts to reopen the passage. Senior U.S. allies have repeatedly said they will not participate militarily in the current hot phase of the war.
Open-source investigative outlet Bellingcat published a report asserting that several Iranian attacks on the UAE were downplayed or mischaracterized in official statements. The group said a video shared by a migrant worker appears to show an Iranian drone striking fuel storage tanks in Fujairah in early March; satellite imagery reportedly shows three tanks destroyed. Fujairah’s media office had said the fire resulted from debris following a successful interception, though Bellingcat said no interception can be seen. The report also cited footage and satellite imagery suggesting other strikes — including apparent hits near Dubai’s airport, a hotel and two separate fires at Dubai’s port — that were not fully acknowledged by authorities at the time.
Emily Feng contributed from Istanbul, Fatima Al-Kassab from London, Aya Batrawy from Dubai and Tina Kraja from Washington, D.C.