Iran targets Qatar tanker and Kuwait airport in Iran escalation

Iran hit a tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait International Airport early Wednesday as Tehran remained unrelenting in its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors.

Doha said that a tanker leased to its state-owned energy company was struck by an Iranian missile in the Gulf country's territorial waters.

"Qatar was targeted... by three cruise missiles launched from Iran," the Gulf state's defence ministry said in a statement.

The military "intercepted two of the cruise missiles, while the third missile struck an oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy in Qatar's territorial waters," it said.

"Coordination was established with relevant authorities to evacuate the tanker, which had 21 crew members on board, without any human casualties," the defence ministry added.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards later confirmed they had hit the tanker, the Aqua 1, claiming in a statement cited by state television the vessel was targeted because it belonged to Israel.

Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile salvos from Iran over the past month in response to US and Israeli strikes that began at the end of February.

Iran has targeted hydrocarbon infrastructure in the oil-rich Gulf nations as well as shipping, effectively closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil usually passes.

QatarEnergy said in a statement the Aqua 1, a fuel oil tanker, had been "the subject of a missile attack in the northern territorial waters of the State of Qatar in the early morning hours of Wednesday".

It confirmed no crew members had been injured and there was "no impact on the environment as a result of this incident".

According to the British marine security agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the incident occurred 17 nautical miles north of Doha.

The agency later said "the vessel was struck by two projectiles" north of Ras Laffan, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub.

"One projectile caused a fire, which was extinguished, and another "remains unexploded within the vessel's engine room", UKMTO said.

Private security firms Ambrey and Vanguard also reported unexploded ordnance within the tanker's engine room, adding that authorities were investigating.

Earlier, UKMTO said the tanker had been "hit by unknown projectile on the port side causing damage to the hull above water line".

Drone attack targets Kuwait airport, fuel tanks on fire: aviation agency

Kuwait's civil aviation authority said Wednesday that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at fuel tanks.

"Kuwait International Airport has been subjected to blatant attacks by drones launched by Iran and the armed factions it supports," the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted the spokesman of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation as saying.

The spokesman, Abdullah Al-Rajhi, said "fuel storage tanks... were targeted, resulting in a large fire at the site", reporting no casualties.

Meanwhile, a major Kuwaiti bank said it will close its headquarters in the capital for two days starting Wednesday.

"National Bank of Kuwait will close its headquarters and Subhan branch today, Wednesday, and tomorrow, due to current developments and in the interest of everyone's safety and business continuity," the bank said in a statement carried by state news agency Kuna.

NBK, one of Kuwait's largest banks, also closed a branch in the industrial area of Subhan, home to security and government facilities and close to the airport, which has been targeted repeatedly by Iran.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kuwait's civil aviation authority said the airport had been targeted in an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at fuel tanks.

Iran has fired missiles and drones at Israel and US allies in the Gulf since the start of the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes against the Islamic republic on February 28.

The oil-rich Gulf states have borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to the US-Israeli strikes that sparked the war.

Tehran has threatened to target vital infrastructure across the Gulf, including energy sites.