Dark smoke was seen rising on Saturday from the direction of a major energy installation in the United Arab Emirates, hours after the United States carried out strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub.
Videos circulating online showed thick black smoke coming from Fujairah, a coastal city that hosts a key port and oil export terminal, playing a major role in regional oil trade. Local authorities said the fire was triggered by debris that fell after a drone was intercepted. In a statement posted online, officials said the falling fragments caused the blaze but did not specify the exact location of the incident.
The UAE Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that the country’s air defence systems were dealing with Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
The development came shortly after Donald Trump announced that US forces had bombed targets on Kharg Island, a crucial hub for Iran’s oil industry that handles nearly all of the country’s crude exports. Trump also warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be targeted further.
Energy facilities have increasingly become targets since the war involving the US-Israel bloc and Iran began on February 28. Earlier, Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, prompting retaliatory strikes on major energy infrastructure across the Gulf region, from Kuwait to Oman.
Several attacks have targeted large oil and gas facilities, including the Ras Tanura Refinery in Saudi Arabia, the Ras Laffan Industrial City gas processing base in Qatar, and the complex housing the Ruwais Refinery in the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
Before the war began, about 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through this narrow waterway. Iran has effectively halted traffic along the route, adding further pressure on global energy supplies.
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