Air-raid sirens and explosions echoed across Israel, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as regional air defenses intercepted waves of Iranian missiles and drones on Friday. Officials reported at least two refinery fires — blamed on direct drone strikes or falling debris — as the conflict entered its 35th day and U.S. President Donald Trump renewed threats against Iran.
Trump used social media late Thursday to warn that U.S. forces had not yet begun to destroy remaining Iranian targets and signaled that bridges and electric power infrastructure could be struck next, urging rapid action by a change in Iranian leadership. Iranian authorities meanwhile said one of the main bridges linking Tehran to Karaj was destroyed earlier in the week; Iran’s security forces later identified the damaged structure as the B1 bridge, still under construction when hit, and said eight people were killed. The Revolutionary Guard warned it would respond by targeting major bridges in the Gulf.
Among Friday’s incidents, Kuwait’s Petroleum Corporation said several processing units at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery — the country’s largest — caught fire after a drone attack; emergency crews moved quickly to contain the blaze and no injuries were immediately reported. Kuwait’s army said it was engaging hostile missiles and drones. In the UAE, authorities reported a fire at the Habshan gas facility attributed to debris from an intercepted attack, while Saudi forces said they intercepted roughly a dozen drones.
Israel’s health ministry reported treating 148 people in the previous 24 hours, mostly for minor injuries, and said 6,594 people have received treatment since the war began.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, wrote on social media that attacks on civilian infrastructure would not compel Iranians to surrender. Many inside Iran, including some regime opponents such as Reza Pahlavi, also criticized threats to strike civilian targets like power plants, arguing such actions would mainly harm ordinary people.
The exchanges of strikes and threats unfolded amid intensified international efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has been blocking in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes that began Feb. 28. The blockade has disrupted global shipments of oil and fertilizers and pushed energy prices higher; Brent crude rose about 7.8% on Friday to $109.03 per barrel, roughly a 50% increase since the conflict began.
Forty countries took part in a virtual meeting convened by the British government to coordinate diplomatic pressure and consider economic measures to persuade Iran to reopen the strait. Hosted by U.K. foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, the session included European delegations, Canada and the UAE, but not representatives from the United States or Israel. Officials noted shipping through the strait has plunged from roughly 150 vessels a day to 10–20, and attendees discussed sanctions and rejected attempts by Iran to impose tolls on transiting ships. Cooper said participating military planners would meet next week to assess defensive options to secure the passage once large-scale fighting subsides, and that work would be done with the International Maritime Organization to assist thousands of sailors and ships stranded by the blockade.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the idea of using force to reopen the strait — a course suggested by Trump — unrealistic, warning it could leave commercial vessels exposed to Iranian attacks. Macron and South Korea’s president said they would cooperate on efforts to restore passage. Senior U.S. allies reiterated they would not join a military operation during the current intense phase of the conflict.
Open-source investigative outlet Bellingcat published a report alleging some Iranian strikes on the UAE were downplayed or mischaracterized by officials. The report cited a video posted by a migrant worker that appears to show a drone hitting fuel storage tanks in Fujairah in early March; satellite imagery reportedly shows three tanks destroyed. Fujairah’s media office had said the fire was caused by debris from a successful interception, but Bellingcat said no interception is visible in available footage. The investigation also pointed to footage and satellite images suggesting other strikes — including apparent impacts near Dubai’s airport, a hotel and fires at Dubai’s port — that were not fully acknowledged at the time.
Reporting contributions came from correspondents in Istanbul, London, Dubai and Washington, D.C.