Airstrikes in southwestern Iran killed at least three people and wounded others, state media reported. The strikes took place near the area where a missing US aircrew member is believed to be. Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, commander of Iran’s joint military command, warned that Iran would target infrastructure used by US forces in the region and Israeli infrastructure if the conflict escalates, saying ‘the doors of hell will be opened to you’ in response to renewed threats from US President Donald Trump.
The confrontation began with joint US‑Israel strikes on Feb. 28 and has since killed thousands, disrupted global markets, choked key shipping routes and pushed up fuel prices. Both sides have struck civilian targets, drawing warnings about potential war crimes.
Key developments:
– Iran called a recent US rescue operation a ‘bitter defeat’ after Washington said it had recovered a second F‑15 crew member. Tehran claimed it shot down a C‑130 aircraft involved in the operation. Iran’s unified command said several enemy aircraft were destroyed, naming a C‑130 and two Black Hawk helicopters; Iran’s army also reported downing an Israeli drone over Isfahan province.
– Bahrain’s Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company said a fire at operating units after an Iranian drone attack was brought under control with no injuries; teams are assessing damage.
– Abu Dhabi authorities reported fires at the Borouge petrochemicals plant in Ruwais after falling debris from intercepted aerial threats; plant production has been halted. The facility is a joint venture of ADNOC and Borealis.
– President Trump said US officials withheld immediate confirmation of the first aviator’s rescue so as not to jeopardize a second rescue attempt, calling the mission among the most daring search‑and‑rescue operations in US history.
– Iran executed two men convicted of participating in January protests that included attacks on a military facility, state judiciary media reported. Those protests previously resulted in large numbers of deaths and arrests, according to past accounts.
– BAPCO Energies in Bahrain reported that an Iranian drone set fire to a storage tank; the blaze was extinguished, no injuries were reported, and damage is being assessed.
– Kuwait reported a drone strike on a government office complex that caused significant damage and took two power generation units out of service; no casualties were reported. Authorities also said an Iranian drone attack damaged two power plants and put a desalination station out of service.
– Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, issued a veiled threat to disrupt traffic through the Bab el‑Mandeb strait, a strategic chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden that carries a large share of global oil and container shipments.
– President Trump renewed threats demanding Iran open the Strait of Hormuz or face severe consequences, posting a short deadline on social media. Pakistan said efforts to broker a ceasefire and host talks between the US and Iran were ‘right on track,’ and Tehran said it had not refused to go to Islamabad.
– The war has had immediate economic effects: US companies such as Amazon have added fuel surcharges and some airlines have raised baggage fees to offset higher fuel costs.
– Iran’s minister of science said five university professors and 60 students were killed since the war began, following strikes on an academic research center in southern Tehran.
The situation remains highly fluid, with ongoing airstrikes, drone attacks and retaliatory threats across the Gulf and Levant.
