•US and Iran flag
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said today that they launched missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Guards, according to Reuters, described the operation as retaliation for fresh US strikes on Iran following attacks on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, reports AFP.
Global oil prices climbed by more than two per cent yesterday.
According to Oilprice.com, Brent crude futures rose to 1.73, or 2.52 per cent, to $70.28 per barrel, as traders priced in heightened geopolitical risks.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out a joint operation against “US military facilities, including Bahrain’s Fifth Naval District at Bandar Salman and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.”
The Guards also claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone during the operation, a claim that had not been independently verified.
Air raid sirens sounded in both Bahrain and Kuwait as the attacks unfolded.
The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were confronting “hostile” missile and drone attacks, while authorities in Bahrain also reported activation of air defence measures.
The strikes came hours after the United States launched a new wave of military attacks on Iran and revoked a licence that had allowed Tehran to sell oil.
Washington said the action was in response to attacks on three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important oil shipping lanes.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said more than 60 boats belonging to the Revolutionary Guards were among the targets struck during the U.S. operation.
According to Investing, in a statement, CENTCOM said: “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation.”
The latest exchange marks a further deterioration of the fragile ceasefire reached after weeks of hostilities.
The truce was intended to provide a 60-day window for indirect negotiations on a broader agreement between Washington and Tehran, but talks held in Qatar last week ended without a breakthrough.
Tensions have intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass.
The latest US military action followed attacks on commercial shipping in the waterway, while Iran has maintained that it has the right to regulate activity in the strategic strait.
The renewed hostilities have raised fresh concerns over regional security and global energy supplies, says Reuters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said negotiations on a permanent agreement would “not commence if threats continue,” according to Reuters, underscoring the uncertain future of diplomatic efforts as military exchanges continue.
