US attacked Iran from Kuwait and Bahrain bases, Tehran claims

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused the US of carrying out attacks on an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and a communications tower on Qeshm Island from bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

In a statement carried by the semi-official Fars News Agency, the ministry said it “strongly condemns” what it described as an “aggressive action by the terrorist US military” against the tanker and the communications facility.

The ministry said the attacks were launched early on Wednesday “from two countries in the region,” before identifying Kuwait and Bahrain.

It accused Washington of using the territory and facilities of regional countries to carry out military offensives against Iran, saying the governments of Kuwait and Bahrain bear “direct and clear responsibility” for the attacks.

The ministry said the attacks constituted a violation of the April 8 ceasefire and “a breach of international law and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states.”

“Any country that allows aggressor parties to use its land, sea or air territory, or facilities and bases located within its territory, to carry out or support military aggression against Iran, is in clear violation of fundamental rules of international law and the principle of good neighbourliness,” it added.

“Under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, such conduct is considered an act of aggression against Iran,” the ministry said.

Regional tensions have escalated since late February after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing more than 3,000 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders and government officials.

A Pakistan-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 8, but efforts to reach a broader agreement have so far failed.