Iran Hit Kuwait's Biggest Oil Refinery and Two US Planes Are Down — Day 35 of the War Explained

Day 35 of the Iran war saw Kuwait's largest oil refinery hit, two US aircraft down, and Trump threatening bridges and power plants. Here is the complete April 3 situation report.

Day 35 of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran — April 3, 2026 — produced the specific accumulation of simultaneous events that characterises the current conflict's rhythm: Iranian attacks on Gulf state infrastructure, US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, the confirmation of two downed US military aircraft, and a Trump social media post threatening Iran's bridges and power plants.

The specific events of April 3 in sequence:

Kuwait's largest oil refinery, Mina Al-Ahmadi, was struck by Iranian drone attacks, setting several units on fire. Emergency teams contained the fires and no injuries were reported. The Kuwaiti Army confirmed its air defence systems were actively responding to additional threats. This was not the first attack on Kuwait's oil infrastructure — a specific pattern of Iranian targeting of Gulf state energy assets has been developing since the war's third week.

The United Arab Emirates reported a fire at the Habshan gas facility caused by debris from an intercepted Iranian attack. Saudi Arabia confirmed it had intercepted and destroyed approximately a dozen drones. Israel's health ministry reported treating 148 people in the previous 24 hours, the majority for minor injuries from shrapnel.

Two US military aircraft went down: an F-15 fighter jet over central Iran, and a second combat plane near the Strait of Hormuz. US CENTCOM confirmed a search and rescue operation was underway for the F-15 pilot. Iranian state media claimed the aircraft were shot down; US officials speaking anonymously confirmed the losses while the specific circumstances remained under investigation.

Trump posted on Truth Social: 'Our military hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!' The statement arrived alongside confirmation that US forces had struck the B1 bridge west of Tehran connecting the capital to Karaj — one of Iran's longest bridges, which Iranian officials described as civilian infrastructure and US officials characterised as a military logistics route.

The specific human toll since February 28: at least 2,076 killed and 26,500 wounded in Iran. The US has confirmed 13 service members killed in combat, more than 200 injured. The Strait of Hormuz traffic has fallen from 150 vessels per day to 10-20 vessels per day. Brent crude closed at $109.03 per barrel, up 7.8 percent on the day.