Iran threatens tankers in Kuwait and Bahrain ports

Iran has warned crews aboard oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to leave their vessels immediately, threatening retaliatory strikes after US forces destroyed five Iranian crude carriers in an escalation of the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz.

The warning, issued by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, said tankers at anchor or alongside port facilities in the two Gulf states could be targeted. Tehran accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting American forces and assisting US military operations against Iranian shipping.

Neither Kuwait nor Bahrain immediately announced evacuations of commercial tankers, and there was no independently verified Iranian strike on vessels in either country following the warning. The threat nevertheless widened the confrontation beyond Iranian shipping and US naval forces to commercial energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states.

US Central Command said its forces destroyed five crude carriers on Tuesday after the Revolutionary Guards twice attempted to hit a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the preceding two days. It said the American vessel evaded the attacks and no US personnel were harmed.

Central Command identified the tankers as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1 and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya near Kharg Island, Iran’s principal crude export hub. It said crews were directed to abandon the ships before strikes rendered the vessels inoperable.

Washington said the tankers were part of a multibillion-dollar network used to finance the Revolutionary Guards and allied armed groups. Tehran has rejected US attacks on its commercial vessels as unlawful aggression and has said further strikes on its oil trade will bring retaliation against American military interests and their regional supporters.

Iran answered the tanker strikes with ballistic missiles aimed at US targets in Jordan. Jordan’s armed forces said its air defences intercepted 18 of 20 missiles, while two fell in unpopulated areas. It reported no casualties and said specialist teams were securing locations where debris landed.

The latest exchange followed another round of maritime attacks on September 5, when US forces struck three Iranian crude carriers after Iranian missiles were launched towards an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. Central Command said no American personnel were injured in those attacks.

The five strikes brought to eight the number of Iranian crude carriers that Central Command says it has disabled or destroyed since September 5, marking an effort to impose economic costs on Tehran through attacks on oil assets.

One of the September 5 vessels was hit off Kharg Island, another near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz, and an unladen tanker was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was instructed to leave. Iran later said it had attacked US-linked vessels, although those claims were not independently confirmed.

The mounting attacks have further reduced commercial movement through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Ship-tracking data showed only six commodity vessels transited the strait on Tuesday, below the 10-day average of 12, underscoring the caution among operators as military activity intensifies.

Before the conflict, the waterway carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Traffic has fallen sharply since Iran imposed restrictions and the United States moved to enforce a blockade on Iranian oil exports, increasing risks for tanker owners, insurers and cargo buyers.

Oil markets have reacted to the widening threat. Brent crude moved towards $100 a barrel on Wednesday as traders assessed the danger to Gulf supply, while physical markets remained tight despite alternative export routes used by regional producers.

Iran has also threatened to establish a new restricted zone and shipping corridor in the strait, saying it will impose tighter controls unless US attacks on Iranian assets stop. Washington has rejected Iranian attempts to regulate passage through the international waterway and continues limited maritime escort operations off Oman.