Manama (TDI): Iranian drones struck the Bahrain’s Bapco refinery early Monday, engulfing parts of the Gulf’s oldest oil facility in flames and sending thick plumes of black smoke across the Sitra Island.
Bahrain’s Health Ministry confirmed 32 people were injured in the attack, which the government attributed directly to “Iranian aggression.”
Bahrain’s National Communication Centre said the fire at the Ma’ameer facility was subsequently brought under control and that the refinery operations continued.
Bapco confirmed the strike on its 405,000-barrel-per-day complex but said no fatalities were recorded and that damage was limited to one unit.
The refinery, commissioned in 1936, is Bahrain’s primary source of refined petroleum and accounts for a substantial share of the Kingdom’s GDP, with energy broadly contributing roughly 70% of national revenue.
“Bapco 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,” the company said in a statement.
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The facility sits a short distance from the headquarters of the United States Fifth Fleet, underscoring Iran’s intent to pressure both Bahrain and its American ally simultaneously.
The attack is the second confirmed strike on Bapco infrastructure in less than a week. A ballistic missile hit a separate facility at the Ma’ameer industrial zone on March 5, causing fires that were contained without casualties.
The Bapco strike is not an isolated incident. It is one piece of Iran’s strategy to make the entire Gulf energy system feel unsafe, raising oil prices with every new target hit.
The strike comes as tensions across the Persian Gulf continue to escalate. Past few days have seen multiple attacks on oil infrastructure in the region, where Israeli strikes on Saturday hit four oil storage facilities and an oil production transfer center in Tehran and Alborzhave.
The strikes have been chaotic and caused large fires; in the aftermath of which concerns on environmental and citizen safety are mounting.
