The Port of Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs and a critical gateway for shipping operating outside the Strait of Hormuz, came under coordinated drone and missile attack on Saturday as Iran expanded its campaign against Gulf infrastructure supporting American military operations.

UAE air defenses reported intercepting nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones before they could reach their intended targets, but officials confirmed that damage had been sustained at port facilities. The full extent of the destruction was being assessed, and maritime operations were temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure.

Three Kuwaiti soldiers were also injured when separate drones struck Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait on the same day, adding to the regional toll of Iranian retaliatory strikes. Kuwait’s defense ministry said the base remained operational despite the attack.

The strikes on Fujairah were particularly significant because the port had been serving as an alternative shipping route for oil tankers seeking to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has intermittently blocked since the conflict began. Damage to Fujairah’s facilities threatened to further constrain global energy flows already under severe pressure.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating they were a direct response to the United Arab Emirates hosting American military assets and facilitating U.S. air operations against Iranian territory. Iranian officials warned that attacks on Gulf infrastructure would continue and intensify until American forces withdrew from the region.

The UAE’s Integrated Air Defense System, which includes American-supplied Patriot batteries and the domestically developed Sky Hunter system, performed at high effectiveness according to Emirati officials. They said the intercept rate demonstrated the resilience of the country’s defensive posture despite the scale of the incoming barrage.

Oil prices responded sharply to news of the Fujairah attack, with Brent crude rising more than two percent in afternoon trading as traders priced in the reduced availability of alternative shipping routes. Shipping industry analysts warned that insurance premiums for vessels transiting the region would rise further following the strike.

Emergency repair teams were dispatched to the port facilities to begin restoration work. UAE authorities said they expected partial operations to resume within 24 to 48 hours, though full capacity would take longer to restore depending on the damage assessment.

Diplomatic sources in Abu Dhabi said the UAE had lodged a formal protest through back-channels with Iranian intermediaries, warning that continued attacks on civilian port infrastructure could provoke a direct Emirati military response. The UAE has so far maintained a defensive posture while cooperating closely with American forces.

The attack on Fujairah illustrated the widening geographic scope of the Iran conflict, which had now produced military incidents across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, and the UAE, drawing virtually the entire Gulf region into a confrontation that began as a targeted American and Israeli operation against Iranian military capabilities.