Iranian strike wounds US troops and damages planes at Saudi air base, official says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian missile attack Friday wounded at least 10 U.S. troops and damaged several planes at a military base in Saudi Arabia, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the situation.

Two of the service members were seriously wounded, one of the officials said. The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base damaged several U.S. refueling aircraft, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

The confirmation, reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, came after satellite imagery that appeared to show the damage to the aircraft appeared online.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died days after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the base.

U.S. Central Command said earlier in the day that more than 300 service members were wounded in the conflict. At least 13 American troops were killed.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media said two of the country's nuclear facilities were attacked.

Also Friday, President Donald Trump said it will be time for Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize ties after the war in Iran wraps up. He has pressed Israel and Saudi Arabia, the two biggest powers in the Middle East, for years to normalize ties as part of his Abraham Accords efforts.

Meanwhile the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said Tehran agreed to "facilitate and expedite" humanitarian aid through the Strait of Hormuz, even as it endures strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Ali Bahreini said Tehran accepted a request from the U.N. to let humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments move through the vital waterway, which usually handles a fifth of the world's oil shipments and nearly a third of the world's fertilizer trade.

The aid plan would be the first breakthrough at the shipping chokepoint after a month of war.

Russian drones

Meanwhile, U.S. and European officials told The Associated Press this week that Russia is sending a shipment of drones to Iran, including upgraded versions of the drone technology that Tehran originally supplied to Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine.

While Iran has its own stocks of Shahed drones, Russia has made improvements to the design during the war in Ukraine, including adding better navigation capabilities.

Russian and Iranian officials have had “very active” discussions this month regarding transferring drones from Russia to Iran, the European intelligence official told AP. A U.S. defense official said it is unclear if the shipment is a one-time delivery or part of a series.

Neither official could say how significant the delivery is or how many drones were sent. Another European official said a small number of drones wouldn't have a major impact on the outcome of the war. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. defense official said Moscow’s motivation in giving Tehran more advanced drones is also unclear given that every munition sent to Tehran is one Russia is not able to launch at Ukraine.

Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities

Iranian state media said two nuclear facilities were attacked. Israel, which threatened to "escalate and expand" its campaign against Tehran, claimed responsibility, and Iran quickly threatened to retaliate.

"Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media.

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Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes did not cause any casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said. The Arak plant has not been operational since Israel attacked it last June.

Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.

The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and that the strike was a major blow to Iran's nuclear program.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Iran would retaliate, IRNA reported. Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGC's Aerospace Force commander, posted on social media that employees of companies tied to the U.S. and Israel should abandon their workplaces.

"This time, the equation will no longer be 'an eye for an eye,' just wait," he said.

US pushes talks

Word of the attacks on Iran came after Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going "very well" and that he gave Tehran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran maintained it did not engage in negotiations.

A Gulf Arab bloc said Thursday that Iran exacted tolls from ships to ensure safe passage.

Trump claimed if Iran doesn't reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6, he will order the destruction of Iran's energy plants.

Death toll climbs, primarily in Iran and Lebanon

Diplomats from several countries tried to organize a direct meeting between U.S. and Iranian envoys.

Meanwhile, U.S. ships drew closer to the region carrying about 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne — trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions and airfields — were ordered to the Middle East.

Israel deployed the 162nd Division into southern Lebanon to support efforts to protect its northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and uproot the militant group, the military said.

The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, are damaged.

Nineteen people were killed in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers were severely injured Friday in Lebanon during an "operational accident," the military said.

Authorities said more than 1,100 people died in Lebanon and over 1,900 people were killed in Iran. Four people in the occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states also were killed.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces were killed.

Photos from the Mideast in the 4th week of the Iran war