Iran shot down a United States fighter jet in its airspace, according to American officials and media outlets linked to the Iranian regime this Friday (3).
There is still no clear information about the crew’s situation. US military personnel are racing against time to try to locate and rescue possible survivors before Iranian forces arrive at the scene, said sources interviewed by the press.
The episode increases military and diplomatic tension for Washington, at a time when President Donald Trump has been advocating, in recent days, bombing Iran “back to the Stone Age”. In the last 24 hours, the United States and Iran have exchanged attacks against military targets and also against civilian infrastructure in the region.
Kuwait Petroleum Corp. reported that drones struck the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, without attributing the attack to any country. In another incident, the Kuwaiti government accused Iran of damaging a power and water desalination plant. In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, authorities said debris from an anti-aircraft defense interceptor fell on a large gas field, causing a fire and halting operations.
On Thursday (2), the United States bombed a highway bridge near Tehran, the Iranian capital, killing eight people, according to local press.
Since the war began on February 28, Iran has attacked refineries, oil tankers, storage tanks and other energy facilities in neighboring countries, while Israel has targeted similar structures within Iran itself. Deliberately attacking energy infrastructure could be considered a war crime under international law.
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The attacks and blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran — the route through which around 20% of all oil traded in the world passes — caused international oil prices to soar. (American stock exchanges were closed this Friday because of the Good Friday holiday.)
Trump has threatened new attacks on Iran’s energy system and warned that if the country does not reopen the strait, the US will destroy its energy plants. “Bridges are next, then Electric Power Plants!” he wrote on social media on Thursday night. “The Regime’s new leadership knows what needs to be done — and it needs to be done FAST!”
The Iranian leadership, in turn, has reacted in a defiant tone to Trump’s threats. Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Thursday that there are no conditions today for negotiations with Washington.
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