Iran threatens tankers near Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened to attack oil tankers near ports in Bahrain and Kuwait after US forces struck Iranian vessels just off Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub.
The IRGC Navy issued what it called an “urgent warning” late Tuesday, telling tanker crews around the docks and anchorages of both Gulf states to immediately abandon their ships.
“We warn all crew members of the tankers in the vicinity of the docks of Kuwait and Bahrain [...] to immediately leave their vessels, whether at anchor or at the docks, as they will be targeted,” the IRGC Navy Command said.
The statement accused Bahrain and Kuwait of hosting US forces and being “partners” in Washington’s attacks on Iranian shipping.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that two Iranian oil tankers were targeted near Kharg Island and Jask earlier in the day. The crews of both vessels were safely evacuated and were being transferred toward the coast aboard lifeboats.
The latest attacks follow another round on Saturday, when US Central Command said it struck three Iranian crude carriers after ballistic missiles were fired toward an American aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer. Two tankers were disabled and a third, which was carrying no oil, was destroyed after its crew was ordered to abandon ship.
Iran subsequently claimed to have struck three tankers traveling along what it described as an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-linked vessels elsewhere.
The maritime confrontation has become an increasingly prominent front in the six-month conflict. Washington maintains a naval blockade restricting traffic to and from Iranian ports, while Tehran has imposed its own controls over passage through Hormuz and recently announced plans for an additional restricted maritime zone in the Persian Gulf.
About one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war, making threats to commercial shipping particularly sensitive for energy markets. Oil prices have continued climbing, with Brent trading near $100 a barrel and US benchmark WTI over $93 on Tuesday as markets priced in growing risks to global energy supplies.
