After Trump launched Project Freedom, South Korea said its HMM-operated Namu was hit in the strait and the UAE reported a drone strike causing a fire at Fujairah.
US Central Command said two US-flagged merchant ships passed safely and warships destroyed six Iranian boats, but Tehran denied any crossings and said it had warned off a US warship.
The escalation threatens a route that once carried a fifth of global oil and LNG; shipping remained largely stalled, ADNOC said an empty tanker was hit, and oil prices rose more than 5%.
Did the UAE's bold exit from OPEC unintentionally trigger the collapse of global energy security?
With Gulf energy infrastructure crippled, can new energy hubs prevent a long-term global supply crisis?
Is the escalating Middle East war creating an environmental catastrophe worse than the economic fallout?
How the March 2026 Strikes on Fujairah Disrupted 1.7 Million Barrels of UAE Oil Exports and Shook Global Markets
Overview
In March 2026, Iran launched drone and missile strikes on the UAE's Fujairah port and Shah gas field in retaliation for a prior US-Israel military campaign targeting Iran. These attacks caused significant damage and disrupted operations, exposing vulnerabilities in a critical energy hub that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE government downplayed the damage and arrested over 100 people to control the narrative, while also maintaining security ties with the US and Israel and engaging in backchannel talks with Iran to avoid further escalation. The conflict intensified regional tensions, disrupted global oil supplies, and revealed the growing use of advanced Russian drones by Iran, signaling a dangerous shift in drone warfare and energy security.