IRAN has intensified its missile and drone campaign across the Gulf, striking critical infrastructure in neighbouring states as regional tensions deepen following the air war involving the United States and Israel.
Iranian strikes on Sunday targeted fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport and damaged a desalination plant in Bahrain, while Gulf nations reported intercepting multiple waves of drones and missiles.
The attacks mark the second week of Tehran’s retaliation against countries hosting Western military facilities.
In Kuwait, authorities said a drone strike hit fuel storage tanks at Kuwait International Airport, triggering a fire that was later brought under control.
AFP reported on Sunday that the military described the incident as “a direct targeting of vital infrastructure”.
The official Kuwait News Agency reported that emergency services contained the blaze and confirmed there were no “significant injuries”. However, the country’s interior ministry said two border guards had been killed “while performing their national duty”, without providing further details.
Kuwaiti authorities also reported damage to several civilian facilities caused by falling debris from air defence interceptions. In response to the escalating security situation, Kuwait’s national oil company announced a precautionary reduction in crude oil production.
In neighbouring Bahrain, an Iranian drone strike damaged a desalination facility, according to the country’s interior ministry, which accused Tehran of “randomly” targeting civilian infrastructure.
Officials later said the damage had not disrupted water supplies or affected the national network’s capacity.
Debris from intercepted missiles also injured three people and damaged a university building in the Muharraq area, Bahraini authorities said. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed earlier that it had targeted the United States naval base at Juffair in Bahrain, alleging it had been used to launch attacks on Iranian facilities.
Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia said its air defence systems intercepted 33 drones targeting several locations, including Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter and the Shaybah oil field in the country’s southeast. Defence officials reported no casualties or major damage.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defences were responding to “incoming missile and drone threats from Iran”, while Qatar reported that 10 ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles launched the previous day had largely been intercepted without casualties.
The latest strikes come despite an apology issued earlier by Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian to neighbouring countries hosting American military bases.
Hours later, however, Iran signalled that its campaign could continue. Pezeshkian warned that the Islamic republic “will be forced to respond” if neighbouring territory is used to launch attacks against Iran.
Iran’s judiciary chief reinforced the warning, stating that strikes would continue against facilities in Gulf countries that were “at the disposal of the enemy”.
The escalating conflict has already claimed at least 16 lives across Gulf states since hostilities began, according to an AFP tally, including eight civilians.
In the United Arab Emirates, President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the country had entered “a period of war” but expressed confidence that it “will emerge stronger”.
The security situation briefly disrupted operations in Dubai, where the emirate’s main international airport – the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic – was temporarily closed after an unidentified object was intercepted nearby.
Authorities later confirmed that debris from an interception had caused “a minor incident”, while witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion followed by smoke rising near the airport area. A Pakistani national was killed in Dubai after being struck by debris from an aerial interception, officials said.
The expanding attacks underscore the widening regional impact of the conflict, as Gulf states increasingly find themselves on the frontline of Iran’s confrontation with Western allies. – March 8, 2026
