Iran launched drone and missile strikes against major aluminum production facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Saturday, marking a significant escalation in Gulf tensions as Tehran shifted from proxy warfare to direct attacks on critical economic infrastructure. The strikes injured several workers and caused significant damage to plants that rank among the world's largest aluminum smelting operations.
Emirates Global Aluminium reported that several people were injured in the Iranian strike on its Abu Dhabi facility, with the company describing "significant damage" to the plant. Meanwhile, state-controlled Aluminium Bahrain said two employees were wounded in attacks on what it called one of the world's largest aluminum smelting facilities.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the coordinated strikes, stating through the semi-official Mehr news agency that the facilities were targeted because of their alleged links to the American military. The IRGC said the attacks were retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on Iranian industrial plants.
- Emirates Global Aluminium plant in Abu Dhabi — several injured, significant damage
- Aluminium Bahrain facility — two employees wounded
- Kuwait International Airport radar system — damaged by 15 drones
- Port of Salalah in Oman — foreign worker reportedly injured
The attacks represent a tactical shift for Iran, which has historically relied on regional proxy groups to pressure Gulf states. By directly targeting industrial infrastructure with its own forces, Tehran appears to be testing whether US security guarantees extend beyond military installations to economic assets.
The aluminum industry holds particular strategic importance for the Gulf states, serving as a cornerstone of their economic diversification efforts away from oil dependency. Both facilities struck are major employers and export earners for their respective countries.
Beyond the aluminum plants, the regional assault included attacks across multiple Gulf nations. Kuwait's defense ministry reported that 15 drones had significantly damaged the radar system at Kuwait International Airport. Oman said it was investigating "cowardly attacks" after a foreign worker was reportedly injured in a drone strike on the southern port of Salalah, though no group had claimed responsibility for that incident.
The strikes occurred as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis entered the broader regional conflict, launching what they described as a barrage of missiles against "sensitive" Israeli military sites. Israel said it intercepted two missiles coming from Yemen, but the Houthis vowed to continue such attacks.
The Houthi involvement raises particular concern for global energy markets. The group previously disrupted Red Sea shipping in support of Hamas during the Gaza conflict, and any return to such tactics could compound existing supply chain pressures.
Oil and gas prices have already spiked as Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, the critical shipping route between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman that handles a significant portion of global energy exports. The combination of blocked shipping lanes and direct attacks on industrial infrastructure threatens to create broader economic disruption.
Gulf nations find themselves caught between competing pressures as the regional conflict intensifies. With their economies and way of life increasingly at stake, these countries are demanding a voice in any future peace negotiations while remaining divided on their preferred relationships with both Iran and the United States.
The attacks came amid continued Israeli operations in Lebanon, where three journalists were killed in what their employers described as a targeted strike. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed killing Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV, describing him as a "terrorist" from the group's elite Radwan Force who "operated for years under the guise of a journalist." The IDF provided no evidence for its military role claim and did not comment on the deaths of Fatima or Mohamed Ftouni.
The World Health Organization reported that nine paramedics were killed in southern Lebanon within 24 hours, bringing the total number of health personnel killed in March to 51. The mounting civilian casualties underscore the broadening scope of a conflict that has now drawn in multiple regional actors and threatens critical economic infrastructure across the Gulf.
As the US-Israel war against Iran enters its fifth week, the targeting of aluminum plants represents a calculated escalation designed to inflict economic pain while testing the limits of international response. For Gulf states that have spent decades building industrial diversification strategies, the strikes demonstrate their vulnerability to Iran's expanding military reach.