Iran targets Gulf energy installations as oil prices surge

Iran launched fresh strikes on energy installations in the Gulf on Monday including a petroleum complex in Bahrain, as oil prices soared on fears over supply disruptions due to the Middle East war.

Bahrain's sprawling Al Ma'ameer oil facility was hit, causing a fire and damage, with the country's state-owned energy firm Bapco declaring force majeure -- the latest Gulf producer to activate the legal clause.

Energy producers in Qatar and Kuwait earlier made similar declarations, which are a warning that events beyond their control may lead them to miss export targets.

Bapco said it "hereby serves notice of force majeure on its group operations which have been affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on its refinery complex", according to a statement posted by the company.

Asian stock markets plunged on Monday as oil prices surged, with investors running for the hills as crude rocketed to its highest level since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The market instability came as Iran continued to target the Gulf with missile and drone barrages, with authorities scrambling to contain the fallout.

In Qatar, authorities arrested more than 300 people for sharing images and what they described as "misleading information" during days of attacks by Iran, according to the interior ministry.

The arrests echo measures across the Gulf as Iran targets airports, military bases, energy installations and residential areas with daily drones and missiles.

The latest strikes came after Washington ordered embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia, following a rash of attacks targeting the kingdom.

The State Department said in a travel advisory it had "ordered non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks".

Drones hit the US embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh last week, and drones have also caused damage at the US diplomatic missions in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, Bahrain said another Iranian drone attack on the island of Sitra had injured 32 people overnight.

All of the wounded were Bahraini citizens and there were four "serious cases", including children, the health ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency.

They included a 17-year-old girl who suffered severe head and eye injuries, and a two-month-old baby, according to the ministry.

Bahrain said the attack on its Al Ma'ameer oil facility had caused a fire but the blaze had been brought under control.

Several explosions were also heard Monday in the Qatari capital Doha, AFP journalists said, as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait all reported new attacks.

Doha has been targeted by waves of drones and missiles since Iran launched a retaliation campaign across the Gulf in the wake of US and Israeli attacks against the Islamic republic.

Qatar's defence ministry said on Monday that its forces had intercepted a new missile attack.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said the kingdom took down and destroyed two waves of drones heading towards the Shaybah oil field in the southeast of the country.

In the UAE, authorities said in a statement on X that air defences responded to "a missile threat".

Kuwait, which was targeted by seven missiles and five drones on Sunday according to authorities, announced another missile and drone attack on Monday. The defence ministry said air defences were working to intercept the attack.

Gulf countries have borne much of Tehran's response after the United States and Israel launched a massive aerial campaign against Iran on February 28.

A total of 21 people have been killed in the Gulf since Iran began its attacks, including 10 civilians and seven US service members.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that the Islamic republic "will be forced to respond" against its neighbours if their territory is used to attack it.