A fire erupted near a major crude oil export terminal in the United Arab Emirates after the country blocked a drone strike.
Some oil-loading operations were suspended at the Port of Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, as plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the debris.
The UAE intercepted the missile and no injuries were reported, the emirate’s media office said.
Fujairah is the outlet for about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude oil — which is equal to about 1% of world demand.
It is not clear if any of the oil was affected by the strike.
The strike came hours after the US “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export terminal.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard responded by threatening to target cities in the UAE, where it claimed the US used “ports, docks and hideouts” to launch strikes on the islands.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned they will target “all oil, economic, and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with America.”
On Saturday, the US Embassy in Baghdad — one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world — was rocked by another strike, though no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The embassy’s helipad was targeted in the attacks — which came one day after the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.”
With Post Wires
