Iran announced on Wednesday that they have conducted missile and drone attacks on US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.
According to Reuters, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards portrayed the action as reprisal for additional US assaults on Iran following attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Global oil prices rose by more than 2% on Tuesday.
According to Oilprice.com, Brent crude futures increased by 1.73 percent, or 2.52 percent, to $70.28 per barrel, as traders priced in higher geopolitical risks.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it conducted a combined 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 US MQ-9 drone during the operation, which had not been independently verified.
As the strikes took place, air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Kuwaiti army stated that its air defense systems were responding to “hostile” missile and drone attacks, while Bahraini authorities also confirmed the activation of air defense measures.
The strikes came just hours after the United States launched a new round of military strikes on Iran and withdrew a license that permitted Tehran to sell oil.
Washington stated that the operation was in retaliation for strikes on three commercial tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically significant oil shipping routes.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that more than 60 Revolutionary Guards vessels were among those targeted during the US operation.
According to Investing, in a statement, CENTCOM stated, “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation.”
The most recent exchange exacerbates the weak ceasefire that was negotiated after weeks of warfare.
The truce was supposed to create a 60-day window for indirect negotiations on a larger accord between Washington and Tehran, but talks in Qatar last week ended without a result.
Tensions have intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass.
The latest US military operation came after attacks on commercial shipping in the waterway, and Iran has maintained that it has the right to regulate activity in the crucial channel.
According to Reuters, the escalating confrontations have heightened fears about regional security and global energy supply.
According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that negotiations on a permanent agreement will “not commence if threats continue,” highlighting the uncertain prospects of diplomatic attempts as military exchanges continue.
