Iran threatens ships in Gulf as nations evacuate citizens

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated further after Iran warned that it would attack enemy vessels entering the Gulf, while several countries have begun evacuating citizens from the region following military strikes by the United States and Israel.

On March 8, a spokesperson for the Iranian military declared that any hostile ships entering the Gulf would be targeted and sunk. The spokesperson emphasised that Iran was prepared to respond to military actions by the United States and Israel in all dimensions.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement published by the Sepah News agency that it had launched a drone strike on the oil tanker Louise P, which flies the flag of the Marshall Islands and was identified as a US asset, in the central Gulf at midday on the same day.

The IRGC also declared that US and Israeli assets in the West Asian region would be considered “legitimate targets” for Iran’s armed forces.

Earlier, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the IRGC had used drones to strike another oil tanker, operating under the commercial name Prima, in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack reportedly occurred after the vessel failed to comply with warnings issued by the IRGC navy regarding restrictions on navigation through the strait, which Iran described as a security measure.

The rapidly escalating tensions have prompted several countries to accelerate evacuations of their citizens from high-risk areas.

Japan’s foreign ministry said that 13 Japanese nationals, including embassy staff in Iran and one foreign family member, had travelled overland from Tehran to Azerbaijan.

At the same time, 60 Japanese citizens travelled by bus from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Muscat, the capital of Oman. Another 30 arrived in Muscat from Abu Dhabi, while 84 Japanese nationals travelled overland from Kuwait to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

South Korea’s foreign ministry also announced plans to organise a charter flight to evacuate its nationals from the United Arab Emirates. The flight, operated by Etihad Airways using a 290-seat aircraft, was scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi at midday local time on March 8.

The South Korean embassy in the UAE began accepting requests from citizens wishing to return home on March 7, giving priority boarding to vulnerable groups such as critically ill patients, people with severe disabilities, pregnant women, the elderly and infants.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the government would take all necessary measures to ensure that citizens wishing to return home could do so safely, while officials continue to closely monitor developments in the region to protect South Koreans in the Middle East.

The evacuation measures come as commercial flights across parts of the region have been disrupted by the conflict between Iran and US-Israel forces, leaving around 3,000 South Korean nationals in the UAE facing difficulties returning home.