Iranian naval authorities have issued a formal warning to oil tankers currently anchored in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, declaring that these vessels will be targeted in retaliatory military action. The official statement, which was confirmed by the state broadcaster IRIB, explicitly urged all crew members to vacate their ships immediately to avoid the impending strikes.
The naval command stated that this directive is a direct response to reported US military attacks on several Iranian commercial oil tankers. In its statement, the Iranian military accused both Kuwait and Bahrain of actively facilitating these strikes by hosting US forces and cooperating with Washington to target Iranian commercial shipping operations.
The escalation follows reports from the semi-official Tasnim news agency, which stated earlier on Tuesday that an Iranian oil tanker was struck by a US missile approximately 7.4 kilometres from Kharg Island in the Gulf. According to the report, the missile impacted the vessel near the island's primary anchorage zone. While the crew was successfully evacuated, officials reported no casualties from the incident.
IRIB subsequently confirmed a second attack, reporting that US forces targeted another Iranian oil tanker situated off the coast of Jask in southern Iran, a location outside the Gulf. These maritime developments occur against a backdrop of severe tensions between Tehran and Washington regarding the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The current unrest persists despite the signing of a memorandum of understanding in June, which had established a roadmap for reopening the vital shipping corridor as a precursor to broader diplomatic negotiations.
