Iran struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery with drones and a power and desalination plant with missiles earlier Friday, sparking multiple fires at the refinery. In the United Arab Emirates, falling debris from intercepted missiles ignited a fire at the Habshan gas processing facility, the emirate's largest, prompting Abu Dhabi to halt operations.

Kuwaiti authorities blamed Iran for the attacks, marking the third strike on the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery since the conflict began. Kuwait Petroleum Corp. confirmed no employee injuries and stated fire crews were controlling the blazes, with environmental monitoring underway. The desalination plant's damage remains unclear. In the UAE, 12 people suffered injuries from debris in the Ajman area, including seven Nepalis and five Indians. UAE defenses intercepted numerous projectiles overnight and on Thursday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied striking Kuwait and accused Israel of the desalination plant attack. Iranian army spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that continued U.S. threats to Iranian power plants would lead to targeting regional energy and U.S.-linked firms. Iran also published a list of Gulf bridges for potential retaliation, including those in Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, and the Saudi-Bahrain King Fahd Causeway, following a U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran's B1 bridge.

The strikes come on the 35th day of the war that erupted on February 28, 2026, when U.S. and Israeli forces began bombing Iran. Iran has retaliated by targeting Gulf energy infrastructure, including Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura and SAMREF refineries, Qatar's LNG facilities, and prior hits on Kuwaiti refineries. Since late February, the UAE has intercepted 438 ballistic missiles, 2,012 drones, and 19 cruise missiles from Iran, with debris causing most damage and 12 deaths.

Oil prices have surged amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil passes, and repeated attacks on refineries processing hundreds of thousands of barrels daily. Saudi Arabia briefly shut Ras Tanura after early strikes, and the UAE's Ruwais refinery halted production.

President Donald Trump stated American forces would strike Iran "very hard" in the coming weeks unless a deal is reached. Gulf states, including Kuwait and the UAE, have bolstered defenses with systems like THAAD and Patriots, while calling for UN intervention to secure waterways.