An Iranian drone struck a fully laden Kuwaiti oil tanker off Dubai at the early hours Tuesday, 31st of March , 2026 in one of the most significant attacks on a vessel in a month of war, pushing crude prices higher and heightening tensions around the vital Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel known as Al-Salmi, a 332-metre very large crude carrier loaded with approximately two million barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, was anchored at Dubai’s port when it was struck just after midnight local time. Dubai authorities confirmed all 24 crew members were safe, and firefighting teams successfully extinguished the blaze.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the vessel’s owner, condemned what it called a “direct and criminal Iranian attack,” warning of a possible oil spill in surrounding waters , though Dubai authorities later confirmed no oil leakage occurred.
The strike on the Al-Salmi is the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. The month-long conflict has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.
West Texas Intermediate crude spiked 3.4% to more than $106 a barrel following the attack , while Brent crude was trading around $115 up nearly 60% since the war began.
The attack came hours after a stark warning from Washington. President Donald Trump threatened to obliterate Iran’s energy plants and oil wells if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wanted to reach a deal with Iranian leaders before a second deadline, now set for April 6, and indicated that talks were progressing noting that what Tehran says publicly differs from what it tells US officials in private.
Iran, however, dismissed the US peace proposals as “unrealistic, illogical and excessive,” insisting it is focused solely on defending itself against ongoing military aggression.
