UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait lose water, energy infrastructure to Iran strikes
Smoke plumes billowing from the Jebel Ali port and desalination plant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after an Iranian strike on March 2.
Photo: AFP Critical infrastructure across the Gulf came under attack from Iran on Sunday with damage reported at civilian facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile salvoes from Iran over past weeks in response to US and Israeli strikes that began at the end of February.
Iran has targeted energy and other industrial infrastructure in the oil-rich Gulf nations, accusing its neighbours of allowing US forces to carry out attacks from their territory.
The Gulf states have vehemently denied the accusations.
Authorities in Abu Dhabi said on Sunday they were battling fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais Industrial City on the UAE’s northwest coast. “Authorities are responding to multiple fires in Borouge petrochemicals plant, caused by falling debris following successful interceptions by air defence systems,” the Gulf emirate’s media office said. “Operations at the facility have been immediately suspended while damage is assessed.
No injuries have been reported,” it added after the United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry earlier said it was responding to missile and drone attacks.
Iran’s army earlier said it was targeting “aluminium industries” in the UAE and US military infrastructure in Kuwait, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.
An Emirates aircraft flies past plumes of smoke from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16.
Photo: AFP The Islamic republic has repeatedly threatened civilian infrastructure in the Gulf countries as US-Israeli attacks in Iran have also hit targets that are key to the Islamic republic’s economy.
On Saturday, a strike on a petrochemical hub in southwest Iran killed five people on Saturday, according to the deputy governor of Khuzestan province.
In Bahrain on Sunday, the state energy company said an Iranian drone attack sparked a fire at a storage tank that was later extinguished. “Bapco Energies confirms an incident occurred at one of its storage facilities earlier today resulting in a tank fire, as a result of a hostile Iranian drone attack,” the company said, without specifying the location of the blaze. “The fire has been fully extinguished, and the situation is under control.
Damages are currently being assessed and evaluated.
No injuries have been reported,” it adde
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