Citi, other companies, evacuate Dubai financial district after Iran threats

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — U.S. financial service group Citi and two other companies in Dubai’s financial center asked employees to evacuate their offices on Wednesday after Iran threatened to strike U.S. and Israel-linked banks in the Middle East.

The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting U.S. assets but also civilian infrastructure.

Iran’s military threatened on Wednesday to attack U.S. and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks, after overnight attacks reportedly hit an Iranian bank.

Employees were asked to evacuate Citi offices in the Dubai International Financial Center and in Oud Metha, a source with knowledge of the evacuations told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Employees at two other companies in the center also told AFP their offices had been evacuated as a precaution.

Air, maritime traffic targeted

Earlier on Wednesday, drones fell near Dubai airport, injuring four people, while attacks hit three ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz as Iran kept up its campaign disrupting oil markets and air and maritime traffic.

Iran has targeted Gulf energy infrastructure and choked shipping in the strait — which normally carries nearly 20% of global oil production — prompting wild swings in prices.

“Two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport a short while ago, resulting in minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, and moderate injuries to one Indian national,” the Dubai Media Office said. “Air traffic is operating as normal.”

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said Iran “is lying when they claim to be targeting U.S. bases in the Gulf” and slammed the attacks on “civilian infrastructure … with no regard for civilians and innocent people.”

An Indian worker at a cargo terminal opposite Terminal 2 of Dubai airport said he saw a drone flying at low altitude, slowly gliding down before crashing into a building at the airport terminal.

“It was flying so low and I saw it clearly. But there was no loud blast when it hit,” he said on condition of anonymity. “About 10 minutes later, I saw another drone gliding past in a similar manner … When it crashed, the explosion was loud.”

Ships hit in Hormuz

A container ship and a bulk carrier were hit off the coast of the UAE, one off Dubai and the other off the northern Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah by unknown projectiles, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

A third ship was also hit by a projectile off Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz, which caused a fire that was later extinguished according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

And drones struck fuel tanks at Oman’s Salalah port on Wednesday, state media said, with private maritime security company Vanguard Tech reporting the suspension of the port’s operations after the attack.

Saudi Arabia intercepted drones targeting the Shaybah field, crucial to its production, while explosions also rang out over Qatar.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles targeting its eastern region and the Prince Sultan Air Base, where an American service member was fatally wounded on March 1.

In the past few days, Saudi Aramco’s sprawling Ras Tanura facility, home to one of the Middle East’s largest refineries, was targeted as well as the UAE’s Ruwais refinery — one of the largest in the world.

Iranian attacks already forced state-owned QatarEnergy, one of the world’s largest producers of liquefied natural gas, to halt production last week and declare force majeure.

Energy producers in Kuwait made similar declarations, which are a warning that events beyond their control may lead them to miss export targets.

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By Agence France-Presse