Gulf Tensions Escalate After US attack on Kharg Island, Smoke Seen Near Fujairah

Abu Dhabi: A plume of thick smoke was seen rising near a key energy facility in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, adding to concerns over the widening conflict in the Gulf following US strikes on Iran's oil infrastructure.

Videos circulating online showed dark smoke billowing over the coastal city of Fujairah, an important port city that hosts major oil storage tanks and export terminals vital to regional energy trade.

UAE authorities later said the fire was triggered after air defence systems intercepted a drone. According to officials, debris from the intercepted aerial object fell and ignited a blaze, though the precise site of the incident was not disclosed.

The UAE Ministry of Defence said the country's defence network had been activated to counter a wave of incoming threats, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones believed to have been launched from Iran.

The incident unfolded shortly after Donald Trump announced that American forces had struck facilities on Kharg Island. The island is a crucial pillar of Iran's oil industry and handles most of the country's crude exports. Trump also warned that further action against the island's energy infrastructure remained possible.

Oil and gas facilities across the Middle East have increasingly become targets since the conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance intensified in late February. Earlier strikes by Israel hit fuel depots in Tehran, triggering retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf.

Facilities that have reportedly been targeted include the Ras Tanura Refinery in Saudi Arabia, the gas processing complex at Ras Laffan Industrial City, and the industrial zone housing the Ruwais Refinery in the UAE.

The conflict has also begun to disrupt maritime activity through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas shipments.

Before tensions escalated, roughly 20 per cent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the narrow strait. Iran's move to halt shipping traffic there has raised fresh concerns about global energy supplies and potential price shocks in international markets.