Smoke was seen rising from a major energy installation in the United Arab Emirates after a drone attack on Saturday, escalating Gulf tensions just hours after the United States launched airstrikes on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island oil hub.
Local authorities in the UAE said air‑defence systems successfully intercepted the incoming drone, but debris from the destroyed aircraft fell onto the facility and triggered a fire. Officials did not specify which installation was hit, though the incident marks yet another strike on critical energy infrastructure in the region.
The attack came shortly after US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces had bombed Kharg Island, the centre of Iran’s crude oil exports. Trump warned that if Iran continued to obstruct shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the US would target the island’s oil infrastructure as well.
Drone and missile attacks on Gulf energy sites have surged since the conflict began. Earlier this month, Fujairah was hit in a similar incident, with debris from an intercepted drone sparking a blaze. Iran has also targeted oil and gas fields, industrial zones and refineries from Kuwait to Oman, including Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery, Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas processing centre and the UAE’s Ruwais refinery.
Meanwhile, Iran has effectively shut down maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital energy corridors. Before the war, nearly 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the narrow waterway. Its closure has deepened uncertainty over the region’s energy security.
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