Fujairah: A major fire broke out at an oil facility in the Fujairah emirate of the UAE on Monday after it was struck by a drone launched from Iran, authorities said. The attack marks the first since a ceasefire took effect between Iran and the US last month.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Fujairah Media Office stated that the blaze erupted at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, a key energy hub on the UAE's eastern coast, after it was targeted by a drone launched from Iran. Civil defense teams were immediately dispatched to the site and are continuing efforts to contain and extinguish the fire. Authorities in Fujairah reported that three Indian nationals sustained moderate injuries and were transported to a hospital for treatment.
The incident came shortly after the UAE Defense Ministry announced that it detected four cruise missiles launched from Iran toward the country. Air defenses successfully intercepted most of them, with three missiles being intercepted over the country's territorial waters, while the fourth fell into the sea.
The UAE Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites in the country using missiles and drones. In a statement, the ministry described the strikes as a 'dangerous escalation, unacceptable transgression, and a direct threat to the UAE's security, stability, and territorial integrity, in violation of international law and the UN Charter.' It emphasized that the UAE 'will not hesitate to protect its sovereignty and retains the full right to respond to the attacks in accordance with international law.'
The statement also stressed that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is 'categorically rejected,' calling for an immediate halt to such attacks and full adherence to a cessation of hostilities. The ministry held Iran fully responsible for the attacks and their consequences.
Regional tensions have intensified following US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, which triggered retaliation from Tehran against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
A two-week ceasefire became effective on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by direct talks in Islamabad on April 11, but no agreement was reached on a lasting truce. US President Donald Trump later extended the ceasefire without setting a new deadline, following a request from Pakistan.