Fire at UAE oil hub as Iran vows retaliation for US attack on Kharg Island

Iran warned it could target U.S. “hideouts” in the United Arab Emirates as a major UAE energy hub suffered disruption after a drone attack on Saturday, and U.S. President Donald Trump said “many countries” would send warships to the region.

As the war entered its third week, Iran projected defiance after U.S. forces hit military sites at its main oil hub, warning that parts of the UAE were a legitimate target and urging civilians to evacuate.

The conflict has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, and caused major oil supply disruptions, pushing prices sharply higher as maritime traffic halted in a region responsible for a fifth of the world’s oil.

Oil loading suspended in Fujairah

Some oil-loading operations were suspended in the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a major bunkering hub and crude export terminal, industry sources said. TV footage showed plumes of thick dark smoke rising into the air.

An Iranian military spokesperson called on people in the UAE to evacuate ports, docks, and “American hideouts,” saying U.S. forces had targeted Iranian islands from those areas.

Trump calls for multinational warships

Trump said many countries would send warships to keep shipping lanes open through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 20% of the world’s oil supplies. He did not provide details on which countries, but said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain, and others would participate.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his slain father, has said the waterway should remain closed as a tool of pressure.

“Many Countries, especially those that are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added: “In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water.”

Escalating military threats

Trump had threatened to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, he said the U.S. had “totally obliterated” military targets on the island, which exports 90% of Iran’s oil shipments.

Iran downplayed the damage while threatening more powerful weapons and warning that parts of the UAE were a legitimate target.

“We declare to the leaders of the UAE that Iran considers it a legitimate right to defend its national sovereignty and territory by targeting the origin of American enemy missile launches in the shipping ports, docks, and military shelters of the U.S. hidden in some cities of the UAE,” a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned Iran would respond to any attacks on its energy facilities and could target U.S. companies in the region.

Missile and drone launches

The UAE Ministry of Defence said nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones were launched from Iran on Saturday. Iran warned residents to leave areas near Jebel Ali port in Dubai, Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi, and Fujairah port, and said it was targeting branches of U.S. banks.

Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, handles about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude oil—roughly 1% of global demand.

“The IRGC is sending a message that there is no safe harbor in this rapidly expanding conflict,” said Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital.

U.S. strikes Kharg Island

U.S. Central Command said its forces struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, destroying sites including naval mine storage facilities and missile storage bunkers.

A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. Reuters

Behind the scenes, Gulf Arab capitals are frustrated at being drawn into a war they did not initiate. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said on X: “The Iranian strategy, which reflects its inability to confront U.S. and Israeli strikes by targeting Arab Gulf states, reveals a military impotence, a moral bankruptcy, and a political isolation.”