Iran's Revolutionary Guards Claim Missile Strikes on Major Aluminum Smelters in UAE and Bahrain

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility on Sunday for missile and drone strikes on two of the world's largest aluminum smelters — Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) in Bahrain and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in the United Arab Emirates — in attacks carried out on Saturday, March 28, that injured eight people in total and caused significant damage to at least one facility. The Guards announced the strikes via Iran's state broadcaster Irib, framing them as retaliation for US-Israeli attacks on Iranian industrial infrastructure. The assault marks a sharp escalation in the regional conflict that began on February 28, 2026, and has now drawn Gulf industrial infrastructure directly into the line of fire. The attacks reignited fears of major disruptions to the global economy, coming on top of supply chain strains already caused by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran escalated sharply from late February 2026, when US-Israeli strikes — referred to in reporting as Operation Epic Fury — killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. The UAE, a close ally of the United States and one of the few Arab countries to have normalized relations with Israel, has been described in source articles as the main target of Iranian missiles and drones directed at Gulf neighbors since the start of the war. Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had already disrupted aluminum supply chains before the strikes, forcing Alba to announce a production cut in mid-March 2026. Web search results from early March 2026 indicate that Bahraini aluminum shipments had stopped and a Qatari smelter was set to shut down amid the supply disruptions.

Abu Dhabi plant suffers significant damage, six hurt EGA's Al Taweelah plant in Abu Dhabi bore the brunt of the Saturday attack, with the company announcing that the facility had suffered "significant damage" and that six people had been injured. The Emirati Ministry of Defense had earlier that morning said it intercepted a drone and missile attack, and that falling debris caused two fires in the Khalifa industrial zone on the emirate's coast. The Alba plant in Bahrain confirmed on Sunday that two of its employees had been slightly injured in a separate Iranian strike, and said it was still assessing the extent of the damage to its facility. Alba had already announced on March 15 a 19 (%) — Alba production capacity cut due to Hormuz blockade reduction in production capacity, citing supply and transit disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz. The Guards justified targeting both companies by claiming that, "thanks to investments and holdings by American companies," they "play an important role in supplying the military industries of the US army." Neither company nor independent sources immediately confirmed that claim.

Alba production capacity — before and after Hormuz blockade: Production capacity (before: Full capacity (pre-March 15, 2026), after: 19% reduction announced March 15, 2026); Personnel injuries from Iranian strike (before: None, after: 2 employees slightly injured (March 28, 2026))

IRGC threatens American university campuses across the Gulf Beyond the industrial strikes, the Revolutionary Guards issued a threat on Sunday to attack American university campuses in the Middle East, saying the action would be retaliation for strikes they claim damaged two universities in Iran. The Guards specifically named Texas A&M University at Qatar and New York University's campus in the United Arab Emirates as potential targets. The threat adds a new dimension to the conflict, extending Iranian warnings beyond military and industrial sites to civilian academic institutions. Meanwhile, on Sunday at dawn, both Kuwait and the UAE reported intercepting further drone and missile attacks, with Kuwaiti military officials stating that "the explosions heard are the result of the interception of hostile attacks by the air defense systems." An AFP journalist in Tehran heard two powerful explosions from the north of the city on Sunday. The Israeli army also reported Iranian missiles heading toward its territory overnight and asked residents in targeted areas to take shelter, with alerts lifted shortly afterward.

„Kuwaiti air defenses are currently repelling attacks carried out by hostile missiles and drones” — Kuwaiti General Staff via La Libre.be

Diplomats gather in Islamabad as fighting shows no sign of stopping The widening strikes across the Gulf come as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have intensified in recent days. Turkish, Pakistani, Egyptian, and Saudi officials were due to meet on Sunday and Monday in Islamabad for what sources described as "in-depth discussions." The pro-Iranian Houthi movement in Yemen also opened a new front on Saturday by launching two attacks against Israel, further broadening the geographic scope of the conflict. Iran and Israel continued to exchange strikes on Sunday, with no sign of de-escalation visible on either side. The attacks on Alba and EGA represent the most direct economic blow yet to Gulf states that have sought to remain outside the conflict's core, and analysts and markets are watching closely for further strikes on critical industrial infrastructure in the region.