Dubai high-rise catches fire after direct-hit from Iran drone as rescue operation unfolds off Iraq after ‘deadly attack’ oil tankers: RECAP

Authorities in Dubai have said that a high-rise building burst into flames after it was directly hit by the drone.

They said the blaze is now under control and they are working to evacuate the building. No injuries have been reported so far.

Banks in Dubai and Qatar have been evacuated today after Iran threatened to unleash its next strikes on US and Israeli finance hubs.

Meanwhile Iranian drones have been fired towards Dubai airport leaving four people injured as passengers were forced to rush to shelters.

It comes as Iran continues to attack its Gulf neighbours in retaliation for the US-Israel war which is now in its 12th day.

Here are today’s main developments:

• Two Ghanaians, a Bangladeshi and an Indian national have been injured after two drones fell near Dubai International Airport where passengers were rushed to shelters
• Iran has claimed responsibility for attacks on two ships in the Strait of Hormuz after crews ignored warnings from the Iranian navy and warned oil prices will hit $200 per barrel
• Financial workers in Qatar and the UAE have been ordered to leave their offices after Iran threatened to target US and Israeli banks in its next attacks
• Donald Trump says war with Iran will end ‘soon’ as there’s ‘practically nothing left to target’
• Russia is reportedly sharing advanced drone tactics with Iran as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warns Vladimir Putin could send troops to help Tehran
• Iran will not compete at the World Cup, the country’s sports minister has confirmed after FIFA chief Gianni Infantino insisted the nation will be welcomed to compete by Donald Trump

Iran’s campaign to restrict the world oil supply has seen it block the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway and allegedly lay down mines to target commercial vessels.

And the Middle Eastern country on Wednesday warned the world to prepare for oil to hit $200 a barrel, after it attacked three cargo ships in the Strait.

Footage has now been released of an Iranian strike and sees a huge orange flash in the middle of the water, followed by rapidly spreading flames.

The boat was one of several ships carrying Iraqi oil supplies hit by the country’s Middle East neighbour on Wednesday.

The Iranian attack saw one crew member killed and triggered a rapid response from Iraqi authorities.

US B-1Bbomberplanes were seen landing at Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire on Wednesday.

The planes are reported to have been used for Iran strikes, amid the ongoing conflict.

United States Air Force (USAF) personnel could be seen unloading missiles from thebombers following their mission.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Saturday the US has started using British bases for ‘specific defensive operations’ against Iran.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended his decision not to allow US forces to use British bases to support initial strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal and well planned.

He later granted US forces permission to use British bases for what he called defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers.

Three massive explosions rocked Dubai at 11.26 local time yesterday morning. A friend in the United Arab Emirates, terrified, sent me three messages – and in speaking out, ran a risk as dangerous as the missiles.

Earlier, at the city’s airport, four people had been injured after a pair of drones evaded the air defences, sending passengers and staff scrambling from the plate-glass windows and heading for the shelters.

Despite the obvious dangers, Dubai International (DXB) remains open, running a reduced service.

On Saturday, a drone was caught on video sending up a huge pall of smoke near the terminal. The official Dubai Media Office continued to insist that ‘no incident’ had occurred at the airport.

Iranian barrages, during the 13 days of the war so far, have been worst in the mornings and at night, according to another of my contacts. But no time of day can be considered safe. The images of Dubai’s president and its crown prince, strolling around the shopping mall and dining in restaurants, are elaborately staged propaganda, a dangerous lie.

The truth is that the holidaymakers, and anyone else who can afford to leave, are fleeing for dear life.

Read more:

The US will be releasing 172 million barrels of oil to help ease the growing supply crisis, as part of the International Energy Agency’s plans.

This makes up almost half of the 400 million barrels IEA member countries are freeing up.

The American portion alone will take roughly 120 days to complete.

Despite planning to replace these barrels with 200 million more in the next year, the Energy Department insisted the project would come ‘at no cost to the taxpayer’, adding no further explanation.

Dramatic photos show smoke billowing above the city of Erbil in Iraq in the early hours of the morning.

The explosion was reported near the US Consulate and not far from the Erbil International Airport area, where America also has a military base.

Strikes have been hitting Iraq in recent days as the war spreads across the Middle East.

All residents are safe and no injuries have been reported in the drone strike on the building near Dubai Creek Harbour.

‘Authorities have fully brought the fire under control, and all residents are safe. No injuries have been reported,’ the city’s media office wrote on X.

There has been no mention of where the drone came from but it is believed to be from Iran.

Donald Trump declared that the US had won the war with Iran during a rally in Kentucky on Wednesday.

On the 12th day of nonstop bombings in the Middle East, the President insisted that it was actually already over.

‘It’s only good if you win,’ Trump said of the war. ‘And we’ve won.’

Dubai’s government media office has said authorities are responding to an ‘incident involving a drone that fell on a building in the vicinity of Dubai Creek Harbour’.

Dubai Creek Harbour is located around five miles from Dubai International Airport.