Kuwaiti Oil Tanker Hit by Iranian Drone Strike in Dubai Waters

"Drone Strike on Tanker While Docked at Port, Fire Erupts"

Reuters Yonhap News

A Kuwaiti oil tanker reportedly caught fire after being struck by an Iranian drone in the waters off Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). As Iran’s offensive operations expand to waters across the Middle East, concerns are mounting over increased instability in global oil supply.

According to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on March 31 (local time), the Kuwaiti-flagged oil tanker Al Salmi, which was docked at the port of Dubai, caught fire after being attacked by an Iranian drone. The tanker was reportedly carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil.

Kuwait Oil Company stated, "This attack on the oil tanker is believed to be the work of Iran," adding, "The fire caused damage to the hull, and there is a possibility of oil leakage into the surrounding waters." Dubai authorities also announced, "A fire broke out due to a collision between the drone and the Kuwaiti tanker. An emergency response was carried out, the fire has been extinguished, and there were no casualties." The Iranian government has not issued any immediate response to the reports of the attack.

As the possibility of a U.S. ground operation in Iran is anticipated, Tehran is intensifying its confrontation by expanding the scope of tanker attacks to the entire Middle Eastern waters. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated in a report the previous day that, since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on the 28th of last month, it has received 24 reports of suspicious incidents affecting vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman.

Earlier on the same day, Iran escalated its provocations toward the United States by passing a bill in parliament to impose transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the Iranian parliament approved a bill—submitted earlier this month—to collect transit fees from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The bill also includes a ban on passage through the strait for ships from the United States, Israel, and other countries participating in sanctions against Iran. However, the specific amount of the transit fee has not yet been disclosed. Tasnim News reported, "It is expected that the fee will be charged in Iranian rials."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.