Iran strikes critical UAE port and threatens to abduct US military staff after hitting American embassy with missile as Tehran vows to avenge Trumps obliteration on Kharg Island: Live updates

Fujairah, which is one of the largest oil facilities in the Middle East, has been hit by a drone strike.

It is also a significant location, situated on the Fulf of Oman, for the refuelling of ships.

Due to its locale, ships are not required to travel through the Strait of Hormuz to reach it.

It comes as Tehran has launched several attacks on vessels passing through the strategic passage in recent days.

The US Embassy in Baghdad had renewed high warning levels for an attack just before a missile struck a helipad on the compound.

On Friday, the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against U.S. citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.”

The projectile landed within the embassy’s boundaries after the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district in central Baghdad that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies, added the security officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak with the press.

There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy in Baghdad.

The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones in the past by Iran-aligned militias.

These groups have recently stepped up attacks on bases hosting US and coalition troops.

A drone strike in northern Iraq on Thursday killed a French soldier and wounded several others stationed there as part of an international coalition.

Donald Trump posted a video clip showing military strikes by the US just hours after the attack on Iran's Kharg Island, which he said earlier Friday the US had 'obliterated.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said 'more than 90 Iranian military targets' had been hit on the critical Iranian oil hub.

While Washington had attacked, they maintained the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island had been preserved.

Missile storage bunkers, mine storage facilities and other military sites had been destroyed in the attack.

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has told the BBC that they have been struck 'likely by heavy machine gun fire'.

A blaze broke out after the attack on the base near Meiss-el-Jabal, which is located around 70 miles from Beirut.

The spokesperson said: 'One peacekeeper on his way to the shelter was lightly injured. We have launched an investigation.

'We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers at all times.'

Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Thursday that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands on Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation, underscoring how central they are to the country’s economy and security.

In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran “will abandon all restraint” if the islands come under attack and said Trump will be responsible for “the blood of American soldiers.”

Although they account for only a small share of Iran’s territory, the islands carry outsized importance because of their oil facilities and strategic location.

The small coral island about 21 miles off Iran’s coast is the primary terminal through which nearly all of Iran’s oil exports pass.

Iran has exported 13.7 million barrels since the war started, and multiple tankers were seen on satellite imagery Wednesday loading at Kharg, according to TankerTrackers.com, maritime intelligence company.

Iran gets a significant share of its $78billion a year in revenue from oil, with shipments flowing to countries like China. A strike on Kharg would not only damage Iran’s current government but also could undermine the viability of whatever might eventually replace it.

Kharg Island, Qeshm Island, and the tiny islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb carry outsized importance because of their oil facilities and strategic location.

“A direct strike would immediately halt the bulk of Iran’s crude exports, likely triggering severe retaliation,” JPMorgan said in an investment note this week.

As the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel enters its third week today, queues at petrol stations in Britain are continuing amid mounting fears over price hikes.

The war has disrupted global oil supplies, the key ingredient in both petrol and diesel, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and attacks on oil fields and infrastructure in the Gulf.

The blockade is helping fuel spiralling prices at the pumps in Britain as the average price of diesel reached 159.2p on Friday, while petrol hit an 18-month high of 140.6p per litre.

It comes as oil surged back over the grim mark of $100 a barrel for a second time this week, with fears the Iran conflict will lead to higher energy prices and drive inflation for families.

Iran has allowed some Indian vessels to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran's Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali claimed on Saturday, ​confirming a rare exception to the blockade that has disrupted global energy supplies.

Fathali did not confirm the number of vessels that have been provided safe passage. He was speaking at broadcaster India Today's conclave in New Delhi.

Since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran, Tehran has largely halted ​traffic through the strait, which runs past its coast and through which around 20 per cent of global oil ​and seaborne liquefied natural gas is supplied.

Separately an Indian government official said that two tankers carrying liquefied gas have crossed the strait.

The US military has released new footage of overnight attacks on Kharg Island.

In a statement, Central Command said it had targeted naval mine stores and missile storage bunkers alongside other military assets.

It added that a total of 90 targets were struck.

The statement read: 'Last night, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, Iran.

'The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites. U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure.'

Former Iranian foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki threatened to 'capture' US troops if Washington dared to seize Kharg Island - a critical oil hub for Tehran.

He said:

If they dare to commit such an act and sit on a part of our soil, why shouldn't we go to a part of their soil - which now exists in the form of their regional baes - carry our a helicopter landing there, and capture their forces?'

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned US 'hideouts' in the UAE are 'legitimate targets'.

Following Washington's attack of Kharg Island, a statement from an official in Khatam-al Anbiya central headquarters, from which the army and IRGC is run warned UAE citizens to keep away from docks, ports and US military bases 'to avoid any harm'.

A translation of its statement read:

We declare to the leaders of the Emirates that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate right, in defence of its national sovereignty and territory, to strike the source of American enemy missile launches at the ports, docks, and hideouts of US military personnel in some of the cities of the Emirates.