US war latest: Kuwait oil refinery hit in drone strike as Trump threatens to destroy bridges and power plants

Trump’s inflammatory comments come after Macron urged the US president to ‘be serious’ and ‘let things quieten down’

US war latest: Kuwait oil refinery hit in drone strike as Trump threatens to destroy bridges and power plants
US war latest: Kuwait oil refinery hit in drone strike as Trump threatens to destroy bridges and power plants Photo: The Independent

Trump’s inflammatory comments come after Macron urged the US president to ‘be serious’ and ‘let things quieten down’
Iranian drones have struck an oil refinery in Kuwait as Tehran continues to fire missiles at Gulf nations.

The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp.

said firefighters were working to control the blazes.

There were no injuries reported, the company said.

It comes as Donald Trump has threatened to bomb bridges and electric power plants in Iran in what appears to be a new push for Tehran to sign a deal.

The ‌ US military "hasn't even started destroying ‌what's left in ‌ Iran .

Bridges next, then ⁠Electric Power Plants," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

His post said that Iran 's leadership "knows ‌what has ​to be done, ‌and ⁠has to be ⁠done, FAST!"
His new warning comes after he told Iran it must “make a deal before it is too late”, as he celebrated the partial destruction of Iran’s largest bridge .

At least eight people were killed and about 95 people were injured in the attack on the bridge.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi issued a fresh warning to Trump in return, saying attacks on civilian infrastructures “will not compel Iranians to surrender”.

Trump celebrates as major bridge in Iran cut in half by strike: ‘Make a deal before it’s too late’
Inside Javad Zarif's peace proposal
Former Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, who helped reach the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, made a peace proposal in Foreign Affairs magazine in a piece published Friday.

While Mr Zarif has no official position now in Iran's theocracy, he helped get reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian elected.

He also would not have been able to publish such a piece without at least running the positions past senior members of the country's theocracy.

While insisting Iran "is clearly winning" the war, he wrote that Tehran "should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions — a deal Washington wouldn't take before but might accept now."
It remains unclear how Donald Trump would respond to such a pitch, particularly as Mr Zarif referred to Trump's close friend Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner as "completely illiterate on both geopolitics and nuclear technicalities."
He wrote: “As an Iranian, outraged by Donald Trump’s reckless aggression & crude insults, yet proud of our armed forces & resilient people, I am torn about publishing this peace-plan in Foreign Affairs.

Yet I’m convinced that war must end on terms consistent with Iran’s national interests.”
Trump vows to hit more Iranian infrastructure as nations seek to open Hormuz
President Donald Trump said the US "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran", reiterating vows to increase the ferocity of attacks on its infrastructure, as dozens of countries sought ways to restart vital energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly five weeks after it started with a joint US-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets, raising the pressure on Trump to find a quick resolution to the conflict.

The US military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran.

Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants," Trump wrote on social media late on Thursday, adding that Iran's leadership "knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!"
He earlier posted video of the US bombing a newly constructed bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj.

The B1 bridge was scheduled to open to traffic this year.

According to Iran's state media, eight people were killed and 95 others were wounded in the U.S.

attack.

"Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender," Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement.

French and South Korean leaders say they'll work together on the Strait of Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Their summit in Seoul came as U.S.

President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the U.S.

and Israeli war against Iran.

Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017 as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan.

Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean media.

Kuwait oil refinery hit by drone attack
Iranian drones have struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery Friday, sparking fires at the facility.

The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp.

issued a statement on the attack, the third so far since the war began, and said firefighters were working to control the blazes.

There were no injuries reported, the company said.

Former Iran top diplomat suggests terms to end war
Iran’s former top diplomat offered terms to see a ceasefire in the war with the US and Israel.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, who helped reach the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, made the proposal in Foreign Affairs magazine in a piece published today.

While Zarif has no official position now in Iran’s theocracy, he helped get reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian elected.

He also would not have been able to publish such a piece without at least running the positions past senior members of the country’s theocracy.

While insisting Iran “is clearly winning” the war, Zarif wrote that Tehran “should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions — a deal Washington wouldn’t take before but might accept now.”
It remains unclear how US president Donald Trump would respond to such a pitch, particularly as Zarif referred to Trump’s close friend Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner as “completely illiterate on both geopolitics and nuclear technicalities".

UAE responding to missile and drone attacks
The defence ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it is battling a wave of new missile and drone attacks from Iran.

China Eastern Airlines to raise domestic fuel charges
​China Eastern Airlines said this morning it ⁠will raise fuel surcharges for domestic flights from 5 April, ​adding ⁠to a list of ⁠Chinese airlines hiking ​fuel ⁠fees as ‌the Iran war drags on.

The ‌carrier will increase ‌fuel surcharges for flights ⁠of 800km and below to 60 yuan ($8.72) and 120 yuan for those over ‌800 km, ​it said ‌on its ⁠website.

Australia urges weekend motorists to refuel in cities
Australian energy minister Chris Bowen today urged motorists getting away for a long weekend during the Easter holiday to fill up in cities because most of the nation’s fuel shortages are in rural areas.

Among 2,400 gas stations in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, 182 had run out of diesel by Friday.

In Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, 76 gas stations were out of diesel.

In the remaining states ranked by the most populous first, Queensland had 75 stations without diesel, Western Australia had 37, South Australia had 28 and in Tasmania there were seven.

“For those Australians planning a road trip this weekend, given our shortages are predominantly in rural and regional Australia, it makes sense to fill up in the city to help the country if you can,” Bowen said in Sydney.

The government, which blamed regional shortages on panic buying and distribution problems, is concentrating on delivering fuel to farmers for planting crops.

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