Drones struck Kuwait’s largest oil refinery for a second consecutive day as Iran launched widespread attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf, while explosions rocked Tehran from Israeli strikes during the Persian New Year celebrations.
Fires erupted across multiple units at the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, which processes around 730,000 barrels of oil per day, early Friday, coinciding with Kuwaitis celebrating Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.
Kuwait’s national oil company reported that several units had been shut down, but no casualties were reported.
The country’s military confirmed that its air defenses were actively intercepting incoming missiles and drones, while condemning the strike as an unprovoked aggression against its sovereignty and economic stability.
The attacks are part of an expanding Iranian campaign against Gulf Arab states, launched in retaliation for an Israeli strike earlier this week on Iran’s South Pars gas field—its largest—providing roughly 80 percent of domestic natural gas.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for hitting U.S. forces at the UAE’s al-Dhafra airbase, as well as targets inside Israel.
The UAE reported incoming missile and drone threats, Bahrain said shrapnel from what it called “Iranian aggression” ignited a warehouse fire, and Saudi Arabia reported intercepting and destroying more than a dozen drones within two hours.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that these strikes on Gulf infrastructure represent only “a fraction” of Iran’s capabilities and threatened “zero restraint” if Iranian energy facilities are attacked again.
In addition, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for about a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG, triggering surging energy prices and creating shortages in everything from computer chips to fertilizer.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, suffered severe damage in Iranian attacks, eliminating roughly 17 percent of global LNG supply and causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue.
QatarEnergy chief Saad al-Kaabi said repairs could take three to five years and that the destruction has set back the region “10 to 20 years.”
