Iran has opened a new front across the Gulf, striking countries that host U.S. forces and sit beside the oil, gas, and shipping infrastructure sustaining the global energy system. Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan all reported Iranian missile or drone activity on Sunday after the United States hit a reported 140 military targets inside Iran in response to an Iranian strike on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.
The heaviest confirmed damage occurred in Kuwait, where a drone struck an offshore drilling platform operated by Kuwait Oil Company. Oman reported attacks in Musandam and Al Wusta, placing both the southern Hormuz corridor and the port of Duqm inside the conflict zone. Qatar intercepted two waves of ballistic missiles over Doha. Bahrain intercepted several aerial attacks, and three Iranian missiles landed in Jordan. Iran said it was targeting U.S. military assets in each country.
Missiles Reach Qatar For The First Time Since April
Qatar detected two waves of Iranian ballistic missiles over Doha at approximately 5:36 a.m. and 7:13 a.m. local time on Sunday. Air defenses intercepted the incoming missiles, and falling debris injured three people, including a child.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted Al Udeid Air Base and claimed it destroyed a command center and an aircraft maintenance facility. Qatar and the United States have not confirmed damage at the base, and U.S. Central Command said no American personnel were injured.
The attack placed the world’s largest LNG exporter under direct fire for the first time since April.
Qatar temporarily suspended civilian marine activity and raised its security alert level, but no disruption was reported at Ras Laffan or the country’s LNG export terminals.
The Foreign Ministry accused Iran of a “dangerous escalation” and said Tehran would bear legal responsibility for the attack and its consequences. It also called for “an immediate and complete cessation of all military actions” and a return to negotiations.
Bahrain Goes On Highest Military Alert
Bahrain said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several Iranian missile and drone attacks on Sunday. The Bahrain Defence Force accused Tehran of “systematic aggression” and said the attacks targeted civilians. Iran said it had attacked U.S. military sites in Bahrain, which hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Bahrain and the United States have not reported damage to the naval base or casualties from the attack.
Bahrain contains one of the largest concentrations of U.S. naval power in the Gulf and is also next to shipping routes connecting Saudi and Kuwaiti oil terminals with the Strait of Hormuz. The Bahrain Defence Force said all military units had been placed at the “highest level of readiness” and were prepared to defend the country.
Iran Hits Kuwait’s Oil Infrastructure
Three northern border posts and an offshore Kuwait Oil Company drilling platform were struck on Sunday. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry reported material damage at all four locations and said one worker was injured on the offshore installation. Iran said its drones targeted U.S. HIMARS missile launchers, missile storage facilities and a Patriot air-defense system inside Kuwait. No American casualties were reported, and Kuwait has not confirmed damage to the U.S. equipment identified by Tehran.
The drilling-platform strike produced the first confirmed damage to an operating Gulf oil installation during Sunday’s attacks. Kuwait has not identified the platform, reported a production loss, or said whether drilling was suspended.
The Kuwaiti army said its forces remained on full readiness and were taking all necessary measures to protect the country. The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as Iranian aggression and a direct threat to the safety of Kuwait’s population.
Drone Attacks Reach Oman’s Hormuz Corridor
Oman reported drone attacks on sites in the Musandam and Al Wusta governorates. Musandam forms the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, and Al Wusta contains the deepwater port of Duqm. Iran said it struck logistics and refuelling facilities used by U.S. aircraft carriers at Duqm.
Oman has confirmed the two governorates targeted but has not identified the facilities hit or released a damage assessment. The U.S. Embassy ordered Americans in Duqm and Musandam to shelter in place.
Oman had become the Gulf’s safest energy outlet after fighting around the Strait of Hormuz intensified because its oil export terminals lie outside the chokepoint. Buyers increasingly shifted cargoes toward Omani ports, and India moved to secure additional crude supplies from Oman specifically to reduce dependence on Hormuz. Earlier in the conflict, a drone attack delayed crude loadings at the Mina Al Fahal terminal, demonstrating that even infrastructure outside the strait had become vulnerable. Sunday’s attacks on Musandam and Al Wusta carry that risk one step further by bringing the conflict to the governorates containing both the Port of Duqm and the southern approach to Hormuz, Energy Intelligence reported.
Muscat summoned Iranian Ambassador Mousa Farhang and delivered a formal protest over what the Foreign Ministry called “irresponsible acts”.
Jordan Becomes The Sixth Target
Jordan said three Iranian missiles landed inside the country on Sunday, causing minor material damage and no casualties. Iran claimed it targeted Prince Hassan Air Base and destroyed command facilities and drone hangars. Jordan has not confirmed a strike on the base or reported damage to any U.S. military assets.
Jordan does not produce oil or gas at Gulf scale, but its bases and airspace connect U.S. military operations in the eastern Mediterranean, Iraq and the Gulf. Its inclusion expanded the attack zone west of the main energy corridor. The Foreign Ministry called the strikes a violation of Jordanian sovereignty and declared full support for the Gulf governments taking measures to protect their territory and populations.
Assessment: Demonstration More Than Destruction
Measured purely by physical damage, Iran’s latest regional offensive achieved relatively little.
Qatar intercepted the missiles targeting Al Udeid Air Base; Bahrain reported that its air defenses destroyed incoming drones and missiles; Jordan sustained only minor damage from falling projectiles; and Kuwait’s most significant energy-related loss was damage to a single offshore drilling platform that injured one worker. Oman condemned drone strikes in Musandam and Al Wusta, but there is no indication that Duqm Port, export terminals, or the country’s oil infrastructure suffered meaningful disruption. No Gulf producer lost significant production capacity, no major refinery or LNG complex was disabled, and global oil exports continued to flow despite heightened security measures.
Iran demonstrated that it can simultaneously threaten every Gulf state hosting American forces without crossing the threshold that would almost certainly trigger a far larger regional military response.
Tehran deliberately avoided the most economically damaging targets available, including LNG export facilities, major crude export terminals, desalination plants, and large refining complexes. Instead, it forced governments across the Gulf to activate air defenses, suspend commercial activity, issue shelter warnings and reinforce critical infrastructure.
The message is that every Gulf energy producer now operates under the constant possibility that Iran could target their facilities simultaneously.
More specifically, Tehran is demonstrating how it could attempt to transform Hormuz from an internationally managed shipping lane into a strategic asset over which it exercises practical control. Every missile interception, disrupted tanker voyage and emergency security response increases the cost of challenging that objective while reminding both Washington and Gulf capitals that Iran retains multiple escalation options it hasn’t yet fully employed.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- U.S. LNG Exporter Reaps Windfall as Middle East Turmoil Drives Fees Higher
- Oil Prices Jump After Iran Attacks Commercial Vessels
- US Crude Oil, Product Inventories Fall Even As Hormuz Traffic Begins to Flow