Israel’s airstrikes on Tehran on Friday came as Iranians marked Nowruz, with activists reporting sounds of attacks around the Iranian capital during the Persian New Year holiday, the Associated Press reported.
Dubai also reported an early-morning barrage: explosions shook the city while air defenses intercepted projectiles that were approaching, as residents observed Eid al-Fitr and with mosques making the first call to prayer of the day.
The strikes marked a fresh intensification at a time when the war has been affecting energy logistics across the Persian Gulf. The AP said Friday’s escalation followed a period in which Israel had committed to avoid further strikes on a key Iranian gas field, and it came after Iran increased attacks on oil and natural gas facilities across the region.
In parallel, the AP said Iran continued its own wave of attacks on Israel using missiles and drones, with sirens sounded across a wide northern stretch from Haifa through Galilee and toward the Lebanese border. The report said the attacks came after a heavy day Thursday in which Israel’s military recorded more than a dozen missile launches.
The regional pressure has been concentrated on energy chokepoints and major production and export hubs. The AP said global fuel supplies have been under intense strain because Iran tightly controls the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping route carrying about one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Qatar, a major natural gas supplier, said Iranian missiles caused “extensive” damage to the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility, forcing it to cut exports by about 17%. Qatar estimated the impact would cost roughly $20 billion per year in lost revenue, and the AP reported repairs could take up to five years; it also said production at the facilities had already been suspended after earlier attacks.
Saudi Arabia said a refinery in Yanbu—SAMREF, on the Red Sea—was hit, and the AP reported that Saudi authorities had begun pumping large volumes of oil westward toward the Red Sea to avoid shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait’s authorities also said Iran struck two oil refineries in the country, while Abu Dhabi officials said Iranian attacks hit gas operations.
The AP also reported incidents involving shipping, including a vessel catching fire off the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and another ship being damaged near Qatar, underscoring risks for maritime traffic in the region.
On the diplomatic front, the United Nations Security Council met on Thursday behind closed doors after Iran’s strikes on Gulf states, with Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei saying the Gulf countries emphasized the need for Iran to stop attacks against them.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech that Iran no longer had the ability to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles, though the AP reported he did not present evidence. Netanyahu’s comments came as his government also pointed to ongoing Iranian missile and drone capability, and as Iranian leadership was described in the AP report as now headed by Ayatollah Mojtaba Jamenei after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Jamenei in the war’s initial offensive.
Netanyahu also addressed the military balance in statements to foreign journalists on Thursday, saying: “Las defensas antiaéreas de Irán han quedado inutilizadas, su Armada yace en el fondo del mar… su Fuerza Aérea está casi destruida.” The Associated Press reported he also said he expected Iran’s public to rise against the Islamic Republic, and that there was no sign of organized opposition since the war began after authorities crushed protests in January.
The AP reported that U.S. military leaders said American forces were striking deeper in Iranian territory, including air operations that chased Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and dropped 2,267-kilogram (5,000-pound) bombs on underground arms storage installations, according to a brief by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
President Donald Trump said he would not send U.S. soldiers into Iran. The AP reported Trump rejected the possibility of deploying infantry when asked later: “No. No voy a poner soldados en ninguna parte”.
In energy markets, the AP said Brent crude briefly surpassed $119 per barrel and rose more than 60% since the war began. It also reported that a European natural gas benchmark rose sharply and had nearly doubled in the last month amid the conflict’s effects on regional supply and transport.
The death toll described by the AP reflected the war’s third week: it said more than 1,300 people have died in Iran, while Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah-backed targets in Lebanon have driven more than a million people from their homes according to the Lebanese government, which said more than 1,000 people have been killed. The AP said 15 people died in Israel from Iranian missile attacks, and four people died in the Israeli-occupied West Bank due to an Iranian missile strike; it also reported at least 13 U.S. service members were killed.