Iran drone hits UAE oil zone, snapping weeks-long ceasefire

A drone attack launched from Iran struck the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone on Monday, igniting a fire and moderately injuring three Indian nationals, ending a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that had held since April 8, The Korea Times reported.

The strike on Fujairah — a key UAE oil export hub that lets tankers bypass the Strait of Hormuz — threatens to reignite the broader Iran-U.S. military confrontation that Pakistani mediators had helped pause last month.

The UAE military intercepted three Iranian missiles during the assault, while a fourth fell into the sea, The Korea Times reported, citing the UAE defence ministry. Civil defence teams were dispatched to the industrial zone to battle the resulting blaze.

Three Indian nationals sustained moderate injuries in the attack and were taken to hospital, the Fujairah Media Office said.

Fujairah sits at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula and serves as a vital oil loading point that allows tankers to bypass the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic waterway Iran has long threatened to close. In a parallel development, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy published a map asserting expanded Iranian control near the strait, a move The Korea Times said could signal escalating maritime pressure.

Monday's strike was not the first against the emirate. A drone hit the Port of Fujairah on March 14, before the ceasefire took hold, and during an earlier phase of sustained fighting, UAE air defences had beaten back thousands of incoming drones and missiles, according to The Korea Times.

Residents in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Khorfakkan and Umm Al Quwain emirate received mobile phone alerts warning of missile attacks during the incident.

The Pakistani-mediated ceasefire between Washington and Tehran had held since April 8. As of publication, neither government had issued a formal statement in response to Monday's attack, according to The Korea Times.