Iran drone strike ignites major fire at UAE oil facility as ceasefire frays
UAE condemns attack as 'dangerous escalation,' vows right to respond; three Indian nationals injured
FUJAIRAH, UAE (MNTV) – A major fire broke out at an oil facility in the UAE’s Fujairah emirate Monday after it was struck by a drone launched from Iran, authorities said, marking the first such attack since a ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect last month and sharply raising fears of regional escalation.
The Fujairah Media Office said the blaze erupted at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, a key energy hub on the UAE’s eastern coast, after the drone strike. Civil defense teams were dispatched immediately and continued efforts to contain the fire.
Three Indian nationals sustained moderate injuries and were transported to hospital for treatment.
The attack came shortly after the UAE Defense Ministry said it had detected four cruise missiles launched from Iran toward the country. Air defenses successfully intercepted three of them over UAE territorial waters, while the fourth fell into the sea.
The UAE Foreign Ministry issued a sharp condemnation, describing the strikes as “treacherous terrorist” attacks representing a “dangerous escalation, unacceptable transgression, and a direct threat to the UAE’s security, stability, and territorial integrity, in violation of international law and the UN Charter.”
The ministry held Iran fully responsible for the attacks and their consequences, stressed that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is “categorically rejected,” and warned that the UAE “will not hesitate to protect its sovereignty and retains the full right to respond to the attacks in accordance with international law.”
Regional tensions have been running high since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering Iranian retaliation against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. military assets, as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The US has enforced a naval blockade on Iranian maritime traffic since April 13.
A two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan took effect on April 8, followed by direct talks in Islamabad on April 11 that ended without agreement. President Trump subsequently extended the ceasefire without setting a new expiration date, at Pakistan’s request.
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