dpKuwait responding to missile and drone attacks
The Kuwaiti army has said it is responding to missile and drone attacks, after Iran threatened retaliation for a wave of US strikes.
Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks.
The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks.”
Key events
Nato’s Rutte says US strikes ‘absolutely necessary’
The new attacks by the US on Iran were “absolutely necessary”, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.
When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react,” Rutte told reporters before a summit of Nato leaders in Ankara.
Four oil and gas tankers turn back from Hormuz strait after vessel attacks
At least four oil and gas tankers have turned back from attempting to transit the strait of Hormuz, ship-tracking data showed, as renewed attacks on vessels in the critical waterway heightened safety and security concerns, according to Reuters news agency.
The diversions come after a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the strait on Tuesday following reports that Iran fired missiles at ships in the waterway, prompting maritime authorities to raise the threat risk for transiting vessels to “severe”.
LNG tankers – Al Ghariya, Duhail and Al Ruwais – have all been inching westward towards the strait of Hormuz before changing course to turn away late on Tuesday, showed data from analytics firms Kpler and LSEG. All three tankers controlled by QatarEnergy were empty and heading towards Qatar’s Ras Laffan export facility to load cargoes.
Meanwhile, LSEG and Kpler data also showed an Indian-flagged tanker, carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude loaded late last week, made a U-turn off the tip of Oman at the strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
A quick update: more sirens sounding in Bahrain.
If you are just tuning in, here is our wrap-up of today’s events:
IRGC says US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait targeted
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has said they targeted dozens of US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the US strikes on Wednesday, in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.
“In an initial response to this aggression, the IRGC Navy and Aerospace Force carried out a joint missile and drone operation, striking 85 key US military facilities” in the two countries, while also shooting down an MQ-9 drone, the statement said.
The US did not comment on the Iranian claims that facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait had been hit – or on whether a drone had been shot down.
Kuwait responding to missile and drone attacks
The Kuwaiti army has said it is responding to missile and drone attacks, after Iran threatened retaliation for a wave of US strikes.
Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks.
The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait ‘in response to US ceasefire violation’.
We’ll keep you updated as more comes in.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have downed a US MQ9 drone in the country’s south, according to Iran’s Press TV.
Sirens are also now sounding in Kuwait.
The Kuwaiti army says air defences are now confronting ‘hostile’ missile and drone attacks.
More to come.
Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Qalibaf has commented on today’s US strikes on Iran, saying on X:
The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
An update on air sirens in Bahrain:
“The siren has been sounded,” the ministry said on X, without giving details of the apparent threat. “Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
