A fire erupted near a major crude oil export terminal in the United Arab Emirates after the country blocked a suspected Iranian drone strike.
Some oil-loading operations were suspended at the Port of Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, as plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the debris.
The UAE intercepted the missile and no injuries were reported, the emirate’s media office said.
A fire and plume of smoke rise after, according to authorities. debris from an intercepted Iranian drone struck an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, March 14, 2026. AP
Fujairah is the outlet for about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude oil — which is equal to about 1% of world demand.
It is not clear if any of the oil was affected by the strike.
“The IRGC is sending a message that there is no safe harbor in this rapidly expanding conflict,” said Helima Croft, analyst at RBC Capital, told Reuters, adding that the strike “signals that Tehran will not let Washington control the terms of escalation and impose dominance.”
Although Tehran has yet to claim responsibility for the strike, it came hours after the US “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export terminal.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard responded by threatening to target cities in the UAE, where it claimed the US used “ports, docks and hideouts” to launch strikes on the island.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned they will target “all oil, economic, and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with America.”
Two drones were launched into Kuwait on Saturday, damaging the Gulf nation’s Ahmed Al-Jaber air base and injuring three members of the Kuwaiti army, the Defense Ministry said.
Smoke rises in the Fujairah oil industry zone in United Arab Emirates, March 14, 2026. REUTERS
Kuwait’s air defense system intercepted another three drones, and two drones fell outside what the ministry called “the threat area” and posed no danger.
The US Embassy in Baghdad — one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world — was also rocked by another strike Saturday, though no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The embassy’s helipad was targeted in the attack — which came one day after the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.”
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The airstrike came shortly after two Iran-backed fighters were killed in attacks on Iraq’s capital, AFP reported, citing several sources.
A powerful blast also rocked Tehran on Saturday, with Israeli aan airstrike hitting the Iran’s main space research center.
Video captured the moment the attack ignited an explosion, sending thick smoke plumes billowing into the air above the space center.
The Israel Defense Forces said the center was housing strategic laboratories used for the research and development of military satellites intended for “surveillance, intelligence collection, and directing fire toward targets across the Middle East.”
The space research center was part of a wave of Israeli strikes across Iran’s capital Saturday, including a factory the regime used to produce air defense systems, Iran International reported.
“The strike significantly degrades the Iranian terror regime’s ability to rehabilitate its aerial defense array,” the military stated.
With Post Wires