Iran threatens to seize US bases, warns Ukraine on drone supplies

Iran's former foreign minister threatened to seize US military bases across the Middle East and warned Ukraine against supplying drones to the region, as Brent crude held above $91 a barrel on the 11th straight night of American strikes.

"These areas have the capacity for ground operations, and the people there will support Iranian forces," Manouchehr Muttaki, who served as foreign minister from 2005 to 2010 and is now a member of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly, said in response to US threats of ground action. He specifically named US bases in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain as potential targets.

Muttaki also warned Ukraine to stop providing drones to Middle Eastern countries and the United States, saying Ukrainian military facilities and President Volodymyr Zelensky's residence "will become legitimate targets" if supplies continue. The warning adds a new dimension to the conflict, potentially linking the Russia-Ukraine theater with the escalating US-Iran war.

The threats come as the US military completed its 11th consecutive night of bombing across Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran, Chabahar, Konarak and Bushehr — home to Iran's only nuclear power plant. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the war has cost $37.5 billion so far and requested an additional $70 billion in supplemental funds, partly to replenish depleted missile supplies.

Iran has already demonstrated its reach across the region, striking US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in recent days. Tehran also claimed to have hit infrastructure belonging to Amazon in Bahrain, where the tech company operates a regional data center. The Houthis, Iran's Yemen-based allies, declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, forcing two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India to reverse course in the Red Sea.

The Strait of Hormuz handles about 21 percent of global oil trade, and the simultaneous threat to both the strait and the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint has trapped much of Saudi Arabia's export capacity. Saudi crude that would normally ship from Gulf ports has been diverted by pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, but the Houthi blockade now threatens that alternative route as well.

Brent crude gained more than 2 percent on Tuesday to hover above $91 a barrel, while US gasoline climbed back over $4 a gallon. The last time a conflict simultaneously threatened both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb was during the 2019 Abqaiq-Khurais attacks, when Brent spiked nearly 15 percent in a single day before Saudi output was restored.

Iran's threat to open a ground front against US bases represents a significant escalation. US Central Command said more than 50,000 American military personnel are currently deployed across the Middle East, with major installations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, and the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain — all within easy striking distance of Iranian missiles and now potentially ground forces.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.