Explosions have rocked an oil facility as Iranian drones target key energy production infrastructure.
Bahrain’s government said this afternoon that a facility in its oil infrastructure area has been attacked. It was later revealed that the attack damaged a unit of BAPCO Energies’ refinery.
A government spokesperson said: ‘One facility in Maameer was targeted, and the relevant authorities are handling the incident,’ the statement said.
Footage from the region showed at least two large towers of smoke rising through the air.
At the base of one of these smoke plumes, a huge fire could be seen raging.
The fire was seen rapidly growing, though the government claims the fire has been brought under control.
The refinery has a maximum production capacity of 267,000 barrels of oil per day.
It also has the space to store up to 14million barrels of oil.
Iran has pressed attacks across the Gulf in response to US and Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader.
Earlier today, Bahrain’s defence ministry said its forces intercepted 75 Iranian ballistic missiles, destroying 65 while 10 fell inside its territory.
Bahrain’s government said this afternoon that a facility in its oil infrastructure area has been attacked
Footage from the region showed at least two large towers of smoke rising through the air
It also reported intercepting 124 drones, downing 88 while 36 landed within the country.
Sirens were said to have sounded across the tiny Gulf nation, which joined its neighbours and the EU in calling for Iran to end ‘indiscriminate’ attacks across the region in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, warning global security was at stake.
Foreign ministers met by video link as Iran stepped up attacks on countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council – with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman all now targeted.
‘The ministers strongly condemned the unjustifiable Iranian attacks against the GCC countries which threaten regional and global security and called on Iran to cease immediately its attacks,’ said a joint statement issued afterwards.
Addressing the fallout of ‘indiscriminate’ Iranian attacks, they also ‘affirmed that the GCC states have the right to take all necessary measures’ to defend themselves.
As Iranian missiles and drones have slammed Gulf states’ cities and infrastructure, upending relations with Tehran, the neighbours have been put on a potential course for greater confrontation.
But EU and Gulf ministers jointly reaffirmed their ‘unwavering commitment to dialogue and diplomacy’ as a means to resolve the crisis.
They pledged ‘joint diplomatic efforts’ for a lasting solution to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and for it to ‘cease production and proliferation’ of ballistic missiles and drones.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who chaired the talks, earlier said the bloc was looking to help Gulf nations fend off Iranian drone strikes, but warned supplies of relevant kit might be limited.
Speaking ahead of the talks, Kallas warned production of drone interceptors would struggle to keep up with high demand both in Ukraine and now the Middle East.
Tehran has been pummelled by US and Israeli air strikes since Saturday, when they killed Ayatollah Khamenei
‘Everybody has the need for air defence… So there is really a problem with production,’ she told journalists in Brussels, adding Europe needed to ‘speed up’ production.
‘I’m worried that the capabilities are limited,’ she said.
More tankers came under attack in Gulf waters on Thursday as the US–Iran war escalated, and Iranian drones entered Azerbaijan, threatening to spread the crisis to more oil producers in the region.
A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was targeted by an Iranian remote-controlled boat laden with explosives while anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port, according to initial assessments. A second tanker at anchor off Kuwait was taking on water and spilling oil after a large explosion on its port side.
Nine vessels have come under attack since the conflict broke out between the US, Israel and Iran on Saturday. Iran launched a wave of missiles at Israel early on Thursday and also sent drones into Azerbaijan, injuring four people.
The escalation comes after a motion to halt the US attacks was blocked in Washington and as the son of Iran’s slain supreme leader emerged as a frontrunner to succeed him, suggesting Tehran was not about to buckle under the pressure.
Around 200 ships, including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers as well as cargo ships, remained at anchor in open waters off the coast of major Gulf producers, according to Reuters estimates based on ship-tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.
Hundreds of other vessels remained outside the Strait of Hormuz unable to reach ports, shipping data showed. The waterway is a key artery for around a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supply.
President Donald Trump offered US Navy escorts and insurance in a bid to restart shipping flows and curtail energy prices. Insurance market Lloyd’s of London said on Thursday it is engaging with the US government on a plan.
BP evacuated foreign staff from Iraq’s Rumaila oil field after two unidentified drones landed inside the field, Iraqi oil sources said. Iraq has cut its oil production by nearly 1.5 million barrels a day, officials told Reuters.
A refinery in Kuwait shut down and another reduced its processing rate. A third refinery in Bahrain also cut its output.
Iranian targeting of oil tankers and refineries has seen the price of energy in the United Kingdom spiral.
Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery, the company’s largest domestic facility, has been a repeated target for Iran
Iran has vowed to bring chaos to the global energy market through its retaliatory attacks, which have repeatedly targeted oil refineries and tankers in the Middlle East.
In a speech on Monday, Generaj Jabbari of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards vowed to set ablaze any transportation ship vying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
He said: ‘The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Anyone who wants to pass, our devotee heroes in the IRGC navy and the army will set those ships on fire. Don’t come to this region.’
In a separate message, Jabbari warned: ‘We will also attack oil pipelines and will not allow a single drop of oil to leave the region. Oil price will reach $200 in the coming days.’
Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery, the company’s largest domestic facility, has been a regular target for Iran – and has today been struck by a drone again.
The attack did not cause any damage, according to local reports, but it came days after the refinery was forced to temporarily close due to a fire.
The strikes have seen global prices of natural gas and oil spiral and it is feared that the energy price cap could rise sharply when it next changes in July.
Bracing brits for spiking costs during a speech on Thursday, Keir Starmer warned: ‘This conflict could continue for some time.’
