Iran issued evacuation warnings for three of the United Arab Emirates’ most critical commercial ports on Saturday and followed through with drone strikes that set an oil facility in Fujairah alight, marking the first time Tehran has directly threatened a neighbouring Gulf state’s civilian commercial infrastructure since the conflict began nearly three weeks ago.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued the warning on March 14, calling for the immediate evacuation of areas surrounding Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, and the Port of Fujairah, accusing the United States of using the facilities to stage attacks on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, without providing evidence. The warning, published in both Persian and Arabic, stated that the locations had become legitimate targets due to what Iran described as the concealment of American military forces within civilian port infrastructure.
Hours after the warning, a drone struck an energy installation at Fujairah, triggering a large fire and prompting operators to temporarily suspend oil-loading operations at the emirate’s major bunkering hub, one of the world’s largest ship refuelling centres outside the Strait of Hormuz. No confirmed strikes followed at Jebel Ali or Khalifa port, though Emirati air defences were placed on high alert.
As of March 12, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence had reported intercepting 268 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and more than 1,500 drones launched by Iran since the start of the conflict, with six fatalities and 131 injuries recorded. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) had already shut down its Ruwais refinery, the largest in the Middle East, after an earlier drone strike caused a fire there.
A diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the country retains the right to defend itself but continues to prioritise what he described as rationality and logic in responding to the threats. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi simultaneously warned that Tehran would target American companies operating in the region if United States Central Command (CENTCOM) struck Iranian energy infrastructure.
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that American forces had obliterated military sites on Kharg Island and warned that Iranian oil infrastructure could be the next target if Tehran continued to interfere with passage through the Strait of Hormuz, where vessel traffic has backed up, choking off approximately one fifth of the world’s daily oil supply.
Two Ghanaian nationals were among those injured in a drone strike in Dubai during the week, according to Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The minister confirmed that Ghana’s Ambassador to the UAE led a team from the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai to visit the injured citizens. Separately, Ghana’s Embassy in Qatar announced on March 15 that it is conducting an emergency one-way evacuation exercise for Ghanaian citizens in Qatar who wish to return home, urging those interested to submit their passport details by email without delay.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi made a series of diplomatic calls on Sunday to the leaders of Qatar, Jordan, and the UAE as Cairo intensified efforts to push for regional de-escalation. There is no ceasefire proposal currently on the table between Iran and the United States.
