The conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel stretched into its fourth week with no signs of abating, as Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment complex was struck Friday and Iran launched ballistic missiles toward the U.S.-U.K. military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed it had been informed of the Natanz attack and said no increase in off-site radiation levels had been detected, while IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi repeated a call for military restraint to prevent any risk of a nuclear accident. Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported no radioactive leak and said there was no danger to nearby residents, but condemned the strike as a violation of international nuclear safety and security regulations.

Iran continued to target Persian Gulf energy infrastructure in apparent retaliation for an Israeli strike on its South Pars gas field earlier in the week. Iranian drones and missiles struck Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery on both Thursday and Friday, sparking fires that forced officials to shut down portions of the facility. Iran also hit facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and QatarEnergy reported that its Ras Laffan Industrial City suffered extensive damage, with 17 percent of its liquefied natural gas capacity reduced — a loss the company estimated could cost $20 billion in revenue.

Israel said it was conducting a new wave of strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran, having already hit more than 130 targets in the Iranian capital on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces issued repeated warnings to the Israeli public of incoming missiles and said its defense systems were operational in response. The United States, meanwhile, is accelerating the deployment of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, according to two people familiar with the decision, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls this week with foreign ministers from Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as the NATO Secretary General.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iranian leaders on the Persian new year Nowruz and described Moscow as a loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran, though some Iranian sources indicated they have received little concrete assistance from Russia during the crisis. Putin also condemned the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a cynical murder and said U.S. and Israeli strikes had thrust the Middle East into an abyss and triggered a major global energy crisis. The extent of actual Russian support for Iran remains disputed.

The back-and-forth strikes on oil and nuclear infrastructure have raised alarms about the potential for full regional war and global economic disruption. Oil prices have surged in response to damage at major Gulf facilities, and President Donald Trump stated that Israel would not again attack the South Pars gas field unless Iran struck Qatar again. With no diplomatic off-ramp publicly visible and military operations intensifying on multiple fronts, analysts and world leaders have warned that the risk of further escalation remains high.