Iran strikes a crucial oil port and airport in Dubai.

 

Smoke rising from the Fujairah oil industry zone on 14 March, after an Iranian drone was intercepted above the port (Image: Reuters)

As Iran continues to target Gulf transport and oil infrastructure, the UAE's biggest port and oil storage facility, Fujairah, and Dubai's international airport have been the targets of additional drone attacks. Monday, a "drone-related incident" caused a fire near the airport, prompting a temporary suspension of flights. A drone strike on Fujairah's strategically important port and industrial zone, one of the region's largest oil storage facilities, also sparked a fire. A Palestinian national was killed when a car was hit by a rocket on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, according to the city's Media Office.

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It stated that the attack took place in the Al Bahia region. The Defense Ministry reported that on Monday, UAE air defense systems stopped 21 drones and six ballistic missiles. Since the start of the war between the US, Israel, and Iran, Iran has fired more than 1,900 missiles and drones at the UAE. The third incident since the start of the war near Dubai's airport, which is the busiest in the world for international passengers, occurred on Monday. Some flights were delayed, while others were cancelled altogether, in another hit to the UAE's image of safety and stability.

 The country's energy sector came under attack as a drone hit an oil storage tanker on Saturday, and another drone hit the oil facilities on Monday, causing a fire.

 Oil loading activities at the port were halted for a time while damage assessments were carried out.

Smoke rises from an area near Dubai airport on Monday (Image: EPA)

Fujairah sits on the UAE's eastern coast, on the Gulf of Oman - rather than the Persian Gulf - and so vessels do not need to navigate the Strait of Hormuz to reach it.

 According to Dubai-based CEO Middle East editor Justin Harper, who regularly speaks with Dubai's oil industry executives, the port's location means that it plays a "crucial" role in "helping keep global supplies moving" when Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz. He stated, "The UAE can still export oil through Fujairah via pipelines from the oilfields in Abu Dhabi if tensions with Iran disrupt the chokepoint." The port city is "ideally placed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz", said Dubai-based oil analyst Matt Stanley, who works for commodities data provider Kpler.

 Adnoc, the state-owned oil company in the United Arab Emirates, has oil tankers there. The crude-grade oil is what Asian buyers want. Iran hitting a storage tanker and oil facilities at Fujairah "shows the vulnerability of Gulf infrastructure", Stanley told the BBC.

 "Iran wants to stop energy flowing," Stanley stated that the port city is the "first stop out of the Middle East on the way to Singapore and China" and is close to India. "Fujairah is on the old Silk Road, which is the maritime route, and it picked up a lot of business bunkering," which is providing container ships that have been at sea for 25 or 30 days with fuel, food, and water. Stanley went on to say that Fujairah is like a "huge vending machine" for ships. Harper asserts that Dubai's business community is "resilient" in spite of the attacks. "The malls still seem to be busy," and restaurants have been offering deals to entice customers to return. He went on to say that people "underestimate Dubai and its ability to survive a downturn." Last week the UAE's Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh vowed in a BBC interview that her country would "bounce back" from the conflict, insisting that its economy was "resilient".

Iran strikes a crucial oil port and airport in Dubai. (Image: BBC)

Source: BBC