Iran strikes major UAE gas field as Israel intensifies attacks on Tehran

Iran has struck a major natural gas facility in the United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Tehran carried out a drone attack in the Shah gas field near the Saudi Arabia border, widening the war that has entered its third week. The strike marks the first time Iran has damaged an upstream oil or gas facility in the UAE since the conflict began on February 28.

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The Shah field is jointly operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Texas-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. The UAE government said operations at the field were suspended after the strike, but confirmed that no injuries were reported.

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The strike came a day after Iran hit a fuel tank at Dubai's main airport, the world's busiest hub for international travel, sending a large plume of smoke over the city and forcing a brief suspension of flights.

The war, now in its 18th day, has seen Iran launch drones and missiles toward Arab states in the Persian Gulf as well as toward Israel.

Tehran has reportedly said it is not interested in ceasefire talks, while the US and Israel continue daily strikes on Iranian sites, including targets in Tehran.

Israel's defence forces said on Tuesday that they struck Iranian government infrastructure in multiple locations across the country. In Tehran, the Israeli military said dozens of munitions were dropped on command centers, targeting facilities connected to unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles, and air-defense systems.

Additional strikes hit the internal security forces' command center and a ballistic missile site in Shiraz, while air-defense systems in Tabriz were dismantled, according to the Israeli military.

Amid conflict, Iran has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil normally passes.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he had asked several countries to send warships to help secure the waterway. Trump said the US was negotiating with countries heavily dependent on Middle Eastern crude to join a coalition to police the Strait.

European countries have asked Washington for more clarity on how long the conflict might last as they consider whether to participate in such an operation.