Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Saturday that U.S. interests in the United Arab Emirates are now “legitimate targets,” following a US strike on Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil hub in the Persian Gulf.
In a statement, the IRGC said American assets in the UAE, including ports, docks and military facilities, could be targeted. The statement urged residents in the Emirates to avoid ports, docks and US military installations “to prevent civilian casualties.”
Strike near Fujairah port
The warning came shortly after smoke was seen rising from Fujairah port in the UAE following what Iranian sources described as a drone strike that disrupted part of the facility’s oil activity.
Iranian officials claimed the United States had begun using its bases in the UAE after “other bases in the region were destroyed,” though the claim could not be independently verified.
The escalation followed an announcement overnight by U.S. President Donald Trump that American forces had attacked Kharg Island, which he described as “the crown jewel” of Iran’s oil infrastructure.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the United States had bombed the strategic oil island in the Persian Gulf for the first time and “destroyed every military target on it.” He later released footage of the strikes.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that 15 explosions were heard on Kharg Island during the attack. According to the report, the strikes targeted air defense systems, the Joshan naval base and the airport control tower.
The report said the island’s oil infrastructure was not damaged.
However, a senior official in Iran’s Oil Ministry told The New York Times that the strikes were “massive and devastating.” Refinery workers reported nearly two hours of continuous explosions that “shook the island like an earthquake,” the official said.
The official added that a successful attack on the island’s oil and gas infrastructure could immediately halt a significant portion of Iran’s oil exports.