Iran attacks Kuwait's oil infrastructure, causing 'severe damage' ahead of Opec+ supply talks

As the war in West Asia continues to escalate, Iranian drones have struck Kuwait’s oil infrastructure, ahead of Opec + supply talks. According to local media reports, the strikes took place on Sunday, just hours before the meeting, and caused "severe material damage". Soon after the strike, authorities are raising concerns that the latest attack could affect oil supplies already hit by the US-Israel war on Iran.

The group of major global oil suppliers was gathering to discuss how to bolster output despite Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route. On Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had attacked petrochemical plants in Kuwait along with those of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. 

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Soon after the confirmation, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported damage and fires at its subsidiaries. The company said fires had earlier broken out at its Shuwaikh oil sector complex, which houses the oil ministry and KPC headquarters, after a separate drone attack.

What went down

Iranian drones also reportedly hit an office complex for Kuwaiti government ministries, which caused significant damage but no casualties. Local media reports suggested that two power and water desalination plants were attacked in the strike.

Meanwhile, Iran’s central military command on Saturday rejected the ultimatum by US President Donald Trump, who threatened to destroy vital Iranian infrastructure if Tehran did not accept a peace deal within 48 hours. On Saturday, an Israeli attack on Iran’s petrochemical plants killed at least five people, according to Iranian media reports.

In the midst of this, members of Opec said on Saturday that repairing energy facilities damaged in recent attacks would be costly and take a long time, and would potentially hit global oil supplies well into the future. They argued that the “critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy”.

The group, which consists of Opec members and other oil-producing countries, reportedly agreed in principle to raise output by 206,000 barrels a day in May, Reuters reported. However, the agreement remains largely symbolic while Iran continues to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz. Overall, the conflict has now resulted in the largest disruption to oil supplies in history.