No sign of war winding down in Mideast as Friday dawns with strikes

No sign of war winding down as strikes spread across the Middle East

There was little sign Friday that the broader war in the Middle East was winding down as attacks continued across multiple countries, even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the threat from Iran was nearly eliminated. Israel said it faced incoming fire from Iran, while Kuwait and Bahrain reported they were under attack, according to the Associated Press.

In Iran, officials and state media described further harm during the Persian new year, with Iran saying eight people were killed as they celebrated the close of Persian New Year, or Nowruz, near a major bridge hit by a U.S. strike. Iran said 95 people were injured during the incident, which Iranian media described as occurring at an outdoor area where people gather for picnics and other celebrations on the last day of Nowruz.

Iran’s top diplomatic response was a direct rejection of the strike. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, wrote on X on Thursday that “Striking civilian infrastructure only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray,” after the bridge was hit. The AP said the bridge was described in reporting as the tallest in the Middle East, and Trump posted footage on social media that he said showed the collapse, adding “Much more to follow.” It was not immediately clear to reporters if the clip Trump shared was of the B1 bridge.

Iran also maintained that the U.S. strikes had not eliminated its ability to retaliate. A spokesman for Iran’s military, Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, insisted Thursday that Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles of arms, munitions and production facilities, saying facilities targeted so far by U.S. strikes were “insignificant.” Trump, in turn, told the American people Wednesday night that U.S. “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” and he said in the same address that the Strait of Hormuz could be taken by force but that it was not up to the U.S. to do it.

The fighting also extended into Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against Iran-backed Hezbollah. In that theater, Israeli strikes killed 27 people over 24 hours, the Health Ministry said, as the conflict continued to rack up casualties across the region. The AP reported that more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel, and that more than 1,300 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon, where 10 Israeli soldiers were also said to have died.

Even with active fighting ongoing, diplomacy moved to focus on the future opening of the Strait of Hormuz. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Thursday that Britain held a call with nearly three dozen countries about reopening the waterway once the fighting is over, and that military planners from an unspecified number of countries would also plot ways to ensure security, including mine-clearing and “reassurance” for commercial shipping. Thursday’s talks included 35 countries that signed a declaration last month demanding Iran stop blocking the strait, with the AP noting the group included all G7 members except the U.S., plus the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

No country appeared willing to try to open the Strait of Hormuz by force while the war is raging. French President Emmanuel Macron called such an operation “unrealistic,” the AP reported, while the AP also noted concern that Iran might limit traffic even after U.S. and Israeli attacks cease. The continuing danger has already reshaped shipping patterns: traffic through the strait dropped 94% since March 1 over the same period last year, Lloyds List Intelligence said, with some ships allowed through after paying a fee or on the basis of agreements with their home governments. In March, Saudi Arabia piped about 1 billion barrels of oil away from the strait, according to Kpler, and Iraq said it had started to truck oil across Syria to avoid the waterway.

The conflict’s effects also pushed up market prices and threatened broader inflation pressures. Oil prices remained elevated, with U.S. crude at $111.54 a barrel, the AP said, up about 50% from Feb. 28 after Trump’s address. The AP reported that disruptions to supplies flowing through the strait affected not only crude and gas but also jet fuel, with consequences for travel. The AP said Japan and South Korea were the only two countries from Asia joining Thursday’s call about the strait, reflecting how the war’s energy impact is felt across economies tied to Middle East shipping even as the region remains in active combat.