UAE Says Iranian Missile and Drone Strike Hit Fujairah Oil Terminal as US-Iran Hormuz Tensions Escalate

The United Arab Emirates says Iran launched a drone as part of a wider missile and drone strike targeting the Fujairah oil terminal, in what authorities describe as a renewed escalation in regional hostilities. «Air defenses are now dealing with a missile threat.» the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said on X as the incident unfolded. Officials in the eastern emirate of Fujairah reported that the drone strike ignited a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals. The attack comes as tensions intensify around the Strait of Hormuz, with competing narratives emerging over alleged ceasefire violations.

Authorities in Fujairah confirmed that emergency response teams contained the fire and secured the perimeter of the facility, one of the UAE's most strategically important energy hubs located outside the narrow Strait of Hormuz chokepoint. The terminal has long been viewed as critical infrastructure, designed in part to bypass risks associated with maritime disruptions in the strait. Officials did not immediately release full details of the damage but indicated that operations had been partially affected. The incident follows a pattern of previous targeting of oil infrastructure in the region during earlier phases of confrontation involving Iran and its regional adversaries.

The escalation coincides with new U.S. efforts to reopen maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, where several commercial vessels have been stranded amid rising security threats. Trump announced the initiative, described as «Project Freedom», on Truth Social, presenting it as a humanitarian mission aimed at assisting neutral shipping caught in the standoff. The move follows reports that multiple international vessels have remained immobilized due to safety concerns, raising alarm among global shipping companies and governments reliant on uninterrupted energy flows through one of the world's most critical trade corridors.

«Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time.» Trump wrote, before outlining the broader objective of the operation. «Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders! For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.»

Iranian officials responded with a warning against any foreign military presence in the strategic waterway, signaling the risk of direct confrontation. Major General Ali Abdollahi from the Unified Armed Forces Command stated that any attempt by outside forces to enter the strait would be met with force, reinforcing Tehran's position that the area remains under its security oversight. The statement came as reports circulated of Iranian actions targeting regional infrastructure and maritime traffic, further heightening concerns among international observers about the possibility of miscalculation in an already volatile environment.

«We warn that any foreign armed forces—especially the aggressive American military—will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.» Abdollahi said, as Trump later claimed U.S. forces had already engaged Iranian assets during the operation. «Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it's time for South Korea to come and join the mission! We've shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, “fast” Boats. It's all they have left. Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait.»

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