Saudi Arabia closes only road to Bahrain after Iranian missile strikes

Tuesday 07 April 2026 - 08:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Saudi Arabia closes only road to Bahrain after Iranian missile strikes

Saudi Arabia shut the King Fahd Causeway early Tuesday, severing the sole land link between the kingdom and the island of Bahrain, after Iran launched ballistic missiles at the oil-rich Eastern Province. The closure came as a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump, demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, drew closer, with both sides exchanging increasingly severe threats over one of the world's most strategic waterways.

The King Fahd Causeway Authority announced the suspension of vehicle traffic as a "precautionary measure" in a post on X, citing Iranian attacks targeting Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. The 25-kilometer crossing is the only land connection between Bahrain and the Arabian Peninsula.

Earlier Tuesday, seven ballistic missiles fired by Iran struck the Eastern Province, according to Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki, who said debris from intercepted missiles had fallen near energy facilities and that damage assessments were under way. Witness accounts and video footage showed fires breaking out at the Jubail Industrial City, a major petrochemical hub on the Persian Gulf coast that hosts facilities linked to Saudi Basic Industries Corporation.

The closure unfolded against the backdrop of Trump's ultimatum demanding Iran allow free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil flows in peacetime. Trump warned Monday that Tuesday would be "the day of power plants and bridges, all in one, in Iran" if Tehran did not comply, threatening what he described as the total destruction of Iranian energy infrastructure.

Iran rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire, demanding instead a permanent end to a conflict that began on February 28. Iranian officials dismissed Trump's threats as a sign of "pure desperation." Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned that strikes on civilian infrastructure could constitute war crimes, a position echoed by the Center for Human Rights in Iran, which urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

Inside Iran, state media called on young people to form human chains around power plants and nuclear sites under the banner "Iranian Youth Human Chain for a Bright Future" as the deadline approached. International observers expressed concern over the appeal, with critics describing it as the use of civilians as shields.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters at Naval Support Activity Manama, has already felt the effects of the conflict. The Pentagon evacuated approximately 1,500 sailors and their families from the base earlier in the war after it sustained several strikes. The causeway closure further isolates the small Gulf kingdom amid sharply elevated regional tensions, with no indication given on when traffic would resume.