The warning told all tanker crews in Bahraini and Kuwaiti to
immediately abandon their vessels, whether at anchor or at berth in ports, as
they would be targeted by the IRGC Navy.
Kuwait and Bahrain, hosting US military bases have come
under consistent attack by Iran since the war with the US started at the end of
February.
Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said it assessed the
warning as credible enough to require "immediate operational
consideration", although an attack was not inevitable.
It noted the warning was unusually specific in terms of
vessel type and location, it was consistent with past Iranian behaviour in
terms of targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, and a widening of the rationale for
attacks to cover vessels in particular port associated with the US military
regardless of flag or ownership.
The threat to commercial tankers in Bahraini and Kuwaiti
ports follows the US strikes on five Iranian owned or linked tankers which US
Central Command described as having “destroyed the vessels” after crews were
directed to abandon ship.
The Iranian-flagged NITC VLCC Derya was
targeted near Kharg Island. US forces also fired on four vessels in the Gulf of
Oman – the Aframaxes Kaviz and Riesco, the oil/ product
tanker Charminar, and the LPG carrier Horizon 1.
Video from US Central Command showed four of the vessels
being struck towards the stern while the Riesco was shown with fires
raging on its deck and around the accommodation block.
The strikes on the Iranian linked tankers were in response
to two IRGC attacks on a US warship, which US Centcom said had failed.
The threat to commercial shipping in the region has
ratcheted up significantly in recent weeks with the US striking eight Iranian
owned or linked tankers and Iran attacking at least four commercial tankers in
the Strait of Hormuz including the Bahri VLCC Sidr which resulted in
the deaths of two Filipino seafarers and the Sinokor VLCC Senegal
Prosperity which was abandoned and listing following an attack on August
30, 2026.
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