TEHRAN: Iran stepped up its attacks in the Middle East on Tuesday, two weeks after its war with the United States resumed, with sirens sounding in Bahrain and Jordan announcing it had intercepted two waves of missiles and drones.
In Yemen, Ansar Allah declared they would blockade Saudi Arabia’s ports, in what would throw the world’s energy markets into further chaos after Iran blockaded the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards meanwhile said they had attacked and stopped two “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to transit Hormuz, which Tehran has blockaded to avenge the US-Israeli attack that kick-started the war on February 28.
It remains unclear how the Ansar Allah would implement their blockade of Saudi ports, and oil markets eased slightly despite the threat against the world’s biggest crude exporter.
“The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” Bahrain’s interior ministry said after the military reported it had intercepted Iranian attacks.
Jordan’s military also reported intercepting five drones, followed by three missiles, in two waves of strikes that caused no casualties or damage.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the first of the attacks, claiming in a statement that they had targeted a “complex in the region of Rukban”.
The Iranian army had earlier said it targeted US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative buildings.
“With this radar sweep, the enemy should prepare for even more decisive and powerful waves of drone and missile attacks,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.
Following the deaths of at least three US soldiers in the past several days, the United States launched a new round of attacks against Iran on Monday which it said were “designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz. SEE ALSO P6
