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Iran remains defiant amid rising threats

Monthlong crisis shows few signs of easing as strikes widen to civilian sites

By CUI HAIPEI in Dubai, UAE | China Daily | Updated: 2026-04-04 07:04
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A US Sailor observes flight operations as an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 14, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, March 26, 2026. [Photo/Agencies]

Iran kept exchanging fire with Israel and the United States on Friday, with strikes expanding beyond military sites to civilian infrastructure, as Washington issued the latest threat to strike Iranian bridges and power plants.

As the war entered its sixth week, Israel, Bahrain and Kuwait issued warnings about incoming missiles, despite claims from the US and Israel that Iran's military capabilities had been all but destroyed. Iranian witnesses also reported strikes in and around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan.

US President Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric in recent days as negotiations with Iran showed scant signs of progress. The US military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran", he wrote on social media late on Thursday. "Bridges next, then electric power plants."

He also posted a video of the US bombing a newly constructed bridge in Tehran. The B1 bridge, a key traffic artery, 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 attack.

However, "striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender", Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said.

In response, Iran's armed forces vowed that "more crushing, broader and more devastating" attacks were in store. Iran's Fars news agency later listed several bridges in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan — all of which host US military bases — as potential targets.

Quoting the navy command of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Tasnim news agency said the data center of US tech firm Oracle in Dubai was targeted on Thursday. However, the Dubai Media Office called it "fake news" with no basis in fact.

The Guards have previously warned they would target major US technology companies if tensions escalate with Washington, saying more than a dozen firms could become potential targets.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi militia said they had launched a fourth attack on Israel, firing a "barrage of ballistic missiles" at targets in Tel Aviv, extending their involvement in the regional conflict.

The war began on Feb 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran responded by launching its own attacks on Israel and Gulf states housing US bases. Joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.

The war has intensified pressure on global shipping, with the Strait of Hormuz virtually closed.

"The key question in all investors' minds is, 'When is this going to be over?'" said Russel Chesler, head of investments and capital markets at VanEck Australia.

Future of Hormuz

The United Kingdom chaired a virtual meeting on Thursday of about 40 countries to explore ways to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but it did not produce any specific agreement.

Trump said on Friday that the US can open the Strait of Hormuz with a little more time. "With a little more time, we can easily open the Hormuz Strait, take the oil, and make a fortune," he wrote on social media.

Iran offered a competing vision for future control of the strait, saying it was drafting a protocol with neighboring Oman that would require ships to obtain permits and licenses before transiting the waterway.

Bahrain has proposed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would authorize the use of force to ensure free transit, though the US-backed measure has divided members and the vote has been rescheduled.

Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, the UAE's minister of state, said in an interview on Thursday that his country stands ready to contribute to efforts ensuring the safety of maritime routes in the strait amid tensions.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron said the expectation that the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened by force was unrealistic.

A military operation "would take an infinite amount of time and would expose anyone passing through the strait to coastal threats from Revolutionary Guards", Macron said.

The reopening of the strait "can only be done in coordination with Iran", through negotiations that would follow a potential ceasefire, he added.

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