Warnings tied to strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island have raised fears for shipping, aviation and business across the Emirates.
DUBAI, UAE— The United Arab Emirates remained on high alert Sunday after Iran threatened more missile and drone strikes against major Emirati ports, a day after a drone attack and fire at Fujairah sharpened fears that the widening regional war could hit the Gulf’s energy and transport hubs again.
The warning has raised the stakes for a country that has tried to frame itself as a target of spillover, not a party to the fighting. Emirati officials have pressed for de-escalation while air defenses continue to intercept incoming threats, and the latest alerts have put fresh pressure on oil loading, air travel, business operations and public confidence in two of the region’s main commercial centers, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The latest escalation came after U.S. strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island facilities, an important oil export hub for Tehran, prompted Iranian threats against what it described as infrastructure in the UAE linked to American operations. On Saturday, Iranian warnings singled out the areas around Jebel Ali port in Dubai, Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman. Hours later, a drone attack near Fujairah led to a fire in the oil industry zone, with dark smoke rising over the emirate. Local authorities said the blaze was caused by debris after an interception, and there were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries. By Sunday, oil loading operations at Fujairah had resumed, according to industry sources, though it was not clear whether activity had fully returned to normal. The port matters far beyond the UAE because it sits outside the Strait of Hormuz and serves as a major bunkering and export hub. It moved more than 1.7 million barrels a day of crude and refined fuels on average last year, making any disruption there a global market concern.
The UAE has been under strain since the regional war began Feb. 28. Emirati and state-linked statements say the country has faced repeated waves of Iranian missiles and drones, with many intercepted before impact but some causing damage on the ground. In Geneva last week, UAE Ambassador Jamal Jama al Musharakh said the Emirates had endured more than 1,400 attacks in recent days, killing four civilians and injuring 114 others. Separate government briefings have given slightly different running totals as the count has changed from day to day, but they have described the same pattern: frequent interceptions, limited but real damage to civilian sites, and growing concern about energy and desalination infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence has released near-daily notices describing interceptions of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the country is acting in self-defense against what it calls unprovoked aggression. The UAE also announced early in the conflict that it had closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrawn its ambassador and diplomatic staff.
The sense of danger has spread beyond military sites. Earlier this week, two drones fell near Dubai airport, injuring four people, though officials said flights continued. On the first day of the conflict, airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were damaged, helping turn one of the world’s busiest aviation corridors into a zone of repeated disruption. Airlines have rerouted flights, aircraft have been forced to circle or divert, and international companies with regional headquarters in Dubai have shifted staff to remote work or given them the option to leave temporarily. The broader economic shock is showing up in empty hotel districts, quieter shopping areas and caution across the financial sector. For years, the UAE sold itself as a haven of order in a turbulent region, a place where war next door did not interrupt business at home. The attacks have challenged that image, even when air defenses stop most of the incoming fire. In places such as Dubai International Financial Centre, even minor debris strikes have had an outsized psychological effect because they hit symbols of stability as much as buildings.
Officials have tried to draw a line between defense and involvement. Musharakh said in Geneva that UAE bases would not be used for attacks against Iran, even as Tehran accused the United States of launching operations from Emirati territory. AP reported that Iran publicly claimed the strike on Kharg Island was carried out from locations in or near the UAE, an allegation that has added to public unease inside the Emirates and sharpened concern that Iran may view Emirati infrastructure as fair game. The UAE has rejected that logic and kept its public message focused on sovereignty, civilian safety and diplomacy. “De-escalation, de-escalation, de-escalation,” Musharakh told reporters, summing up the Emirati position as Gulf states sought to avoid being dragged deeper into the conflict. That diplomatic stance has been matched by a military one: officials say they are fully prepared to protect vital facilities, and the flow of interception statements is meant to show both readiness and control. But key questions remain unresolved, including how Iran chooses targets, whether its threats against ports will turn into sustained attacks, and how long Gulf defenses can absorb repeated barrages without broader economic damage.
The practical consequences are already visible in the country’s infrastructure and trade flows. ADNOC shut its Ruwais refinery earlier in the week, and while Fujairah’s oil loading resumed Sunday, uncertainty remains over how vulnerable the UAE’s export system will be if attacks continue. The Strait of Hormuz, already under severe strain in the war, has become an even more sensitive chokepoint because Fujairah is one of the few major Gulf energy outlets positioned outside it. That geography has long made the port a strategic backup for the UAE and a reassurance to global buyers. Any threat there is not only an Emirati problem but a signal to oil traders, shipping companies and governments watching supply losses mount across the region. Reuters has reported that the wider war has already cut Middle Eastern oil production by more than 7 million barrels a day, around 7% of global supply. Against that backdrop, even a brief fire or temporary loading halt in Fujairah carries weight far beyond the emirate itself.
On the ground, the mood in the UAE has shifted from shock to wary routine. Residents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have grown used to the sound of air defense activity, phone alerts and traffic slowdowns near sensitive areas, while public life continues in a more subdued form. Tourist districts that would normally be crowded in March have thinned out, and some office towers operate with fewer workers as firms keep flexible emergency plans in place. In Fujairah, smoke from Saturday’s fire became the latest image of a conflict edging closer to home, a sharp contrast to the official emphasis on containment. Local authorities and federal officials have stressed that most attacks are intercepted and that essential services continue, but the human effect has been harder to contain. Families are watching the news from port cities and airports that have long stood for the UAE’s promise of normality. Business leaders, diplomats and expatriate workers are all asking the same question in different ways: whether the next barrage will be another near miss or a strike that changes the country’s role in the war.
The UAE’s immediate next steps are likely to remain defensive and diplomatic. Officials are expected to continue public briefings on interceptions and damage, while international pressure for de-escalation builds around the Gulf. Any further Iranian attack on Jebel Ali, Khalifa or Fujairah would test not only Emirati air defenses but the country’s strategy of presenting itself as a noncombatant under threat. For now, the Emirates says it is protecting vital sites, keeping commerce moving where possible and pressing for talks, even as the war’s front lines draw closer to its ports, airports and skyline.
Author note: Last updated March 15, 2026.