Massive fire engulfs oil storage tanks near Baghdad
Iran has issued threats and directed attacks against its neighbours as it eyes a United States threat to its civilian infrastructure.
Tehran said late on Tuesday that it will add energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to its list of potential targets if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, the Tasnim news agency reported, citing a military source.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy “a whole civilisation” should Iran fail to comply with his ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz by 00:00 GMT (3:30am on Wednesday in Tehran).
The blockade of Gulf oil through the strategic waterway has shaken the global economy. Trump has threatened to step up the war on Iran, which the US is conducting alongside Israel, by destroying every bridge and power plant in the country.
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said Iran was prepared for all possibilities.
“National security and infrastructure sustainability are the subject of our precise calculations. The government has finalised the necessary measures in detail for all scenarios. No threat is beyond our preparedness and intelligence,” Aref said in a post on X.
As the clock ticked down, strikes on Iran intensified, hitting railway and road bridges, an airport and a petrochemical plant. US forces also attacked targets on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s main oil export terminal.
The Gulf states have been on edge as Iran has conducted intermittent attacks against US bases and infrastructure in the region since the war began last month.
The operator of Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port said it will pause operations around the time that Trump’s deadline passes.
“Operations in Khalifa Bin Salman Port will be temporarily suspended from early April 8. We continuously adapt our operations to the circumstances and have, as a result, temporarily paused operations in recent weeks when needed,” APM Terminals Bahrain told the AFP news agency.
The US State Department has issued a shelter-in-place order for all US citizens in Bahrain until further notice.
It also advised US citizens planning “participation in Hajj this year”, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, to reconsider travel. It also advised against travel to the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior asked people to stay at home between 12am and 6am (21:00 GMT to 03:00 GMT, Wednesday) as a “precautionary measure”.
The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, closed to traffic at least twice on Tuesday due to alerts in Saudi Arabia’s east, according to authorities.
The King Fahd Causeway Authority described the latest closure as a “precautionary measure”.
Israel warned citizens to be cautious and said that a rise in attacks was anticipated as the deadline approached.
The Karish and Tanin natural gas fields off the shores of Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean are also believed to be potential targets.
Explosions were heard across the region. Rockets were fired towards a US diplomatic facility close to the Baghdad airport, and explosions were heard in the Iraqi capital.
Blasts were also reported over Bahrain and the UAE.
“The UAE’s air defences are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran,” the state’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement on X.
Qatar’s Ministry of Defence reported that it had intercepted a missile attack on its territory.
DW News 
