UAE's Fujairah halts some oil loading after Iran drone attack

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UAE’s Fujairah halts some oil loading after Iran drone attack

Editorial Team

March 14, 2026

UAEs Fujairah halts some oil loading after Iran drone attack — Smoke rises in the Fujairah oil industry zone following Iranian drone strikes in Fujairah, UAE, March 14, 2026. Photo: DubaiDiplomacy.com/video/X

Oil loading operations at Fujairah in the UAE have resumed on Sunday, according to an industry source.

DUBAI,— Some oil loading operations were halted Saturday at the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah emirate after a drone attack and fire at the major bunkering and crude export hub, industry and trade sources said.

The disruption came only hours after the United States carried out strikes on military targets at Iran’s Kharg Island oil export terminal.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by saying U.S. interests in the UAE, including ports, docks and military locations, were legitimate targets.

Oil loading operations at the UAE’s Fujairah emirate have resumed on Sunday after being briefly disrupted by a drone attack and fire on Saturday, according to a Fujairah-based industry source cited by Reuters.

Fujairah sits outside the Strait of Hormuz and serves as the outlet for roughly 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude. That amount equals about 1 percent of global oil demand.

A witness in Fujairah reported seeing two separate columns of smoke rising from the terminal area. Reuters could not immediately determine the effect on crude loading operations.

Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital, said the incident appeared to signal a warning from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

“The IRGC is sending a message that there is no safe harbor in this rapidly expanding conflict,” Croft said.

“The fact this comes hours after the U.S. strike on Kharg Island also signals that Tehran will not let Washington control the terms of escalation and impose dominance.”

Iran strike Fujairah oil industry zone, UAE Mar 1 2026 — Smoke rises in the Fujairah oil industry zone following Iranian drone strikes in Fujairah, UAE, March 14, 2026. Photo: Reuters

The International Energy Agency said earlier in the week that the world was facing the largest oil supply crisis ever because the Strait of Hormuz had effectively been closed.

The channel along Iran’s coast has been largely shut since the United States and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28. 2026.

The UAE has been among producers forced to reduce oil output as a result.

Iran issued further warnings on Saturday and urged residents to leave areas near several UAE ports. Iranian news agencies reported the warning applied to areas near Jebel Ali port in Dubai, Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi and the Fujairah port.

The UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Iran’s accusation that the attack on Kharg Island had been carried out through the UAE.

Officials in Fujairah said the fire began after debris fell while a drone was intercepted. The emirate’s media office said no injuries were reported.

Civil defense teams were working to contain the fire, the media office said. Authorities did not give details about the reported suspension of oil loading operations.

Earlier in the week, ADNOC shut down its Ruwais refinery after a fire at a facility inside the complex that followed a drone strike, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The incident added to disruptions affecting energy infrastructure during the ongoing U.S. Israeli conflict with Iran.

Fighting across the Middle East entered its second week after the United States and Israel launched broad strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 that killed the country’s supreme leader.

Iran has continued to respond with attacks against Israel and U.S. allied states in the Gulf, including the UAE. Those strikes have extended beyond military sites to civilian areas and energy facilities.

Targets have included major airports, seaports, hotels, residential districts and oil installations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, according to reports.

Some well known buildings in the country were damaged, including the Fairmont The Palm hotel in the Palm Jumeirah district and the Burj Al Arab hotel.

(With files from Reuters)

The page was updated on March 15, 2026.