Iran warns of evacuations as huge strikes loom in Middle East

Iran’s Navy has warned ships near Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate immediately as Tehran threatens retaliatory strikes on US-linked targets in the Gulf.

UK Daily Express reports that Iranian state TV issued a stark message ordering all oil tankers in the Kuwait and Bahrain area to abandon their vessels, accusing the “US terrorist army” of targeting Iranian oil tankers and describing the two Gulf states as complicit in hosting American forces.

The warning followed Kuwaiti authorities’ confirmation last week that their air defences had intercepted “hostile missile and drone attacks” linked to Iranian aggression.

Tensions escalated further after the US struck targets near Iran’s Kharg Island and Jask on Tuesday, with Tasnim news agency confirming a tanker was hit roughly four miles from Kharg Island, though no casualties were reported.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed to have seized one of the US military’s advanced unmanned submarines in the Strait of Hormuz, describing the operation as a “complex intelligence and operational action.”

Iran’s top security official has additionally warned that a new restricted zone outside the strait will be declared in the coming days.