DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Following fresh assaults by Iran on Friday morning targeting Gulf Arab nations, including a barrage of dozens of drones aimed at Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump issued severe threats of retaliation after Iran’s new supreme leader warned about American military presence in the region.
“Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” Trump posted on social media. “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.”
Trump’s remarks followed statements from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who pledged Thursday to “not refrain from avenging the blood” of Iranian casualties and urged Gulf Arab countries to close American military installations, calling U.S. protection promises “nothing more than a lie.”
Heavy bombardments struck areas around Tehran and surrounding regions early Friday morning, though immediate details about specific targets remained unclear.
Brent crude oil prices continued hovering above $100 per barrel as Iran maintained its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical passage where one-fifth of global oil shipments travel from the Persian Gulf to international waters.
Oil costs have surged as high as approximately $120 per barrel, representing a 40% increase since the United States and Israel launched their initial assault on Iran on February 28, marking the conflict’s beginning.
Iranian forces have been targeting vessels attempting passage through the strait, with Khamenei’s statements — his first public address since assuming leadership after his father’s death on the war’s opening day — confirming Iran’s intention to maintain the waterway closure.
Recovery operations continued in Iraq following the crash of an American KC-135 refueling aircraft, U.S. Central Command confirmed. Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that a French soldier stationed in northern Iraq was killed in an attack.
Iran’s campaign against oil facilities and other infrastructure throughout the Gulf region continued Friday, with Saudi Arabia reporting the destruction of nearly 50 drones launched in successive waves during early morning hours.
Warning sirens activated in Bahrain as incoming fire approached from Dubai, while black smoke rose from an industrial zone after officials said intercepted debris ignited fires.
Approximately 60 individuals sustained injuries in northern Israel after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching multiple rocket attacks toward the region and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Medical officials characterized most injuries as minor.
Lebanese Health Ministry reports confirmed one fatality in southwestern Beirut from an Israeli strike, while another attack set an apartment building ablaze in the capital. Israeli military officials stated they were targeting a Hezbollah member with Iranian connections.
Since fighting commenced, Lebanon’s Health Ministry has documented over 600 deaths, with the U.N. refugee agency reporting nearly 800,000 internally displaced persons.
Iranian officials report more than 1,300 casualties within their borders, while Israel has confirmed 12 deaths. American losses include at least seven soldiers killed and eight others with serious injuries.
In his Friday morning social media post, Trump declared that “we are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise.”
“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them,” Trump stated. “What a great honor it is to do so!”
Military officials report American forces have conducted strikes against more than 6,000 targets since operations against Iran began, including over 30 mine-laying ships.
French President Macron confirmed Friday that a French soldier died in an attack on Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdish region. France previously reported six soldiers injured in an Erbil drone strike, where French troops serve in a multinational counterterrorism mission supporting Iraqi forces against Islamic State militants.
British authorities reported that several American personnel received minor injuries Wednesday when drone attacks hit an Erbil base housing both British and American forces.
Italy confirmed that its base in Erbil was also struck Wednesday, though no injuries occurred. The Italian presence trains local Kurdish forces at the Iraqi government’s request.
Recovery efforts for the crashed American KC-135 refueling plane in western Iraq continued Friday. Casualty information remained unclear, though the aircraft carried five crew members.
U.S. Central Command stated the crash was unrelated to enemy or friendly fire, noting two aircraft were involved with one landing safely.
The KC-135 represents the fourth publicly confirmed aircraft loss during U.S. military operations against Iran. Three American fighter jets were accidentally shot down by friendly Kuwaiti fire last week.
