Iran targets Gulf nations with missiles, drones as oil prices soar
Bahrain told residents this morning to stay inside and close windows after the attack in Muharraq Governorate
Iran has launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Gulf countries on the 13th day of the United States-Israel war on Tehran, with Bahrain reporting strikes on fuel tanks amid surging oil prices.
Bahrain told residents this morning (12 March) to stay inside and close windows after the attack in Muharraq Governorate. The country hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and has been consistently targeted amid the ongoing war.
Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence said it intercepted drones headed towards the Shaybah oilfield and the embassies district. It said it had intercepted seven drones heading to the oilfield on Wednesday.
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Saudi Arabia's eastern neighbour, Kuwait, also reported attacks on its territory, saying two people were wounded by a "hostile drone" that hit a residential building. The attack also caused material damage, the Defence Ministry added.
As a result of the attacks, Kuwait's electricity ministry said six power transmission lines went out of service after debris from intercepted drones fell on them. The ministry added that the electricity and water situation is under control.
Kuwait's Civil Aviation also said its international airport was targeted by several drones, but reported only material damage.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defence was responding to a missile threat. Explosions were heard in downtown Dubai, the AFP news agency reported, adding that small clouds of smoke could be seen above a residential neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) says there had been an attack on a container ship some 35 nautical miles (about 65km) north of Jebel Ali in the UAE.
In Jordan, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic say sirens have been ringing in all cities of the country.
The US-Israel war on Iran has so far killed about 2,000 people and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.
Brent crude prices were hovering at about $100 a barrel as of 2:00 GMT on Thursday, up more than 38 percent compared with before the start of the war.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East and prompted plans for a record release of strategic oil reserves to dampen one of the worst fuel shocks since the 1970s.
Iraq suspends oil port operations
The head of Iraq's General Company for Ports, Farhan al-Fartousi, told the Iraqi News Agency that all oil terminal operations have been completely suspended, while commercial ports continue to function normally.
The announcement follows attacks by explosive-laden boats on two crude oil tankers that had loaded at the Umm Qasr port in Iraq's Basra province.
Rescuers recovered one body and helped 38 others after the attack, al-Fartousi added.
The development comes as traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway carrying a fifth of the world's oil and gas, has in effect stopped, with Iran pledging that "not even a single litre of oil" would be exported from the Gulf to the US, Israel and its partners as long as the war on Tehran continues.
