A fire at a major UAE energy installation injured one person after authorities intercepted a drone, marking the latest strike on Gulf petroleum infrastructure.
FUJAIRAH: Smoke rose from the direction of a major United Arab Emirates energy installation on Saturday. The incident appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf’s petroleum facilities.
Local authorities stated that debris from a successfully intercepted drone had caused a fire. They did not specify the exact location of the blaze.
Authorities later confirmed they were still battling the fire. They added that a Jordanian national had been injured in the incident.
The fire occurred hours after US President Donald Trump said the US military had bombed targets on Iran’s Kharg Island. He threatened to hit the island’s oil infrastructure, which handles almost all of Iran’s crude exports.
Drone strikes also hit the UAE’s Fujairah energy installations earlier this month. Authorities said falling debris from an intercepted drone sparked a blaze at that time.
Since the beginning of the war, Iran has methodically targeted the Gulf’s energy sites from Kuwait to Oman. The strikes have mostly hit oil and gas fields or sprawling complexes.
These include the massive Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia and the Ras Laffan gas processing base in Qatar. The complex housing the UAE’s Ruwais refinery has also been targeted.
Iran has also effectively halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. This vital shipping lane normally sees about a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through.
The UAE has been targeted repeatedly with missile barrages and drone strikes. Tehran unleashed retaliatory strikes across the Gulf after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran.
Later on Saturday, the UAE foreign affairs ministry slammed the targeting of its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan. This was the second such attack in a week.