Oil Tensions Mount as Bahrain Giant Bapco Declares Force Majeure

Bahrain’s state-owned energy company Bapco has declared force majeure on its group operations following attacks attributed to Iran that struck energy installations in the Gulf state on Monday, 9 March 2026.

In its official statement, Bapco said the decision was taken after the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East directly impacted the company’s facilities, including a recent attack on its refinery complex.

“Bapco hereby notifies of force majeure conditions on group operations affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on our refinery complex,” the company stated in a release published on AFP’s website.

Earlier, Bahrain’s government media reported that an attack targeting oil facilities in the Al Ma’ameer area sparked a fire at the complex. According to the Bahrain News Agency, the fire resulted from an Iranian attack on energy facilities in the area. The strike caused material damage to the facilities but resulted in no loss of life.

Local authorities stated that firefighting teams were immediately deployed to control the blaze at the oil complex. The attack on Bahrain’s energy facilities represents one of the latest incidents in an escalating conflict following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and prompted the nation to launch retaliatory attacks against Israel and US military bases in the Middle East. The heightened tensions have also triggered concerns about the stability of global energy supply, given that the region is one of the world’s largest oil-producing centres.