Oil Tanker Hit Off Kuwait Coast Amid Escalating Iran-Israel Conflict, Major Spill Reported

New Delhi: A large explosion reportedly struck an oil tanker in waters off the coast of Kuwait on thursday, triggering a major oil spill in the ocean and raising concerns over potential environmental damage.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions across West Asia amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

Incident occurred outside Kuwait’s territorial waters

However, as reported by Reuters, Kuwait’s Interior Ministry later confirmed that the explosion occurred outside the country’s territorial waters.

In a statement, the ministry said the tanker was at least 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Mubarak Al Kabeer port when the explosion took place.

Escalation in West Asia conflict

Iran has issued fresh warnings to the United States and Israel, saying it would target Israel’s nuclear facility in Dimona if attempts were made to pursue regime change in Iran.

The warning was reported by Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency, citing an Iranian military official.

Iran also launched a new wave of missile attacks early Thursday at Israeli and American bases and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean while Israel said it had begun a “large-scale” attack on Tehran. 

Iranian state television reported that strikes also targeted American bases in the region. In response, Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks, and air sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The Israeli military also reported launching targeted strikes against Hezbollah positions in Beirut’s southern suburbs and against infrastructure in Iran’s capital.

Earlier, the US Navy sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the strike, calling it “an atrocity at sea”.

The incident reportedly resulted in the deaths of dozens of Iranian sailors and has further intensified tensions between the two sides.