The UAE’s Fujairah emirate came under direct attack on Saturday when Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at the coastal hub, one of the most strategically important ship-refuelling ports in the world. Oil-loading operations were suspended as dark plumes of smoke rose into the sky, broadcast widely on television and social media. Iran’s military spokespeople urged residents near UAE ports and what they described as “American hideouts” in the area to evacuate before further strikes.
The attack on Fujairah was part of Iran’s broadening military campaign against US allies in the Gulf, designed to raise the economic and political cost of the ongoing US-Israeli offensive. The UAE’s diplomatic adviser to the president condemned the attack as “terrorist aggression” while insisting the country was still prioritising restraint and working toward a diplomatic solution. The UAE had avoided taking sides in the conflict but now found itself directly in the line of Iranian fire.
The broader conflict continued to intensify. US warplanes bombed Kharg Island again on Saturday following a major assault on Friday. President Trump said in public statements that the island had been effectively destroyed and left open the possibility of additional strikes. He also took to social media to call on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had blocked since the war began on February 28. The closure of the strait had already pushed oil prices toward $120 per barrel and threatened to drive them higher still.
Israel maintained its air campaign against Iran, conducting dozens of raids aimed at degrading missile systems and weakening security forces. At least 15 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an Isfahan factory. Iran continued firing rockets at Israel simultaneously, keeping pressure on multiple fronts. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran’s leadership as “desperate and hiding,” while analysts warned that the regime remained structurally intact and capable of sustaining its military campaign for the foreseeable future.
Casualties mounted across the entire region. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed under sustained bombing, with residents describing relentless attacks day and night. Thirteen Israelis had died, and around 20 people across the Gulf. Lebanon was also suffering deeply, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli operations against Hezbollah. Six US troops died when a military aircraft crashed in Iraq, and the US embassy in Baghdad was struck by missiles, triggering an emergency evacuation order for American civilians throughout Iraq.