Iranian drones struck oil storage facilities at the Port of Salalah in Oman on Wednesday, marking the latest attack on Gulf energy infrastructure as the regional war expands into a full-scale confrontation over global oil supply.
Fuel storage tanks at the port were hit in the strike, according to maritime security firm Ambrey and Omani state media, though no merchant vessels in the area were damaged.
OSINT account Visioner shared video footage of the oil storage facilities after the attack:
The attack is the newest incident in a widening campaign targeting energy logistics and oil infrastructure across the Middle East during the ongoing 2026 war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
Salalah, located on Oman’s southern coast along the Arabian Sea, has become an increasingly important hub for tankers seeking to bypass the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz. The strike raises fresh concerns that Iran is expanding the conflict beyond the Gulf chokepoint and into alternative export routes used by oil producers and shipping companies.
A Pattern of Energy Infrastructure Attacks
The strike follows several similar incidents targeting oil and gas facilities across the region since the conflict began in late February.
Earlier this month, drones hit a fuel storage tank at the Port of Duqm in Oman, another strategic energy hub located outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran-linked strikes have also targeted Saudi Arabia’s massive Ras Tanura oil refinery, briefly forcing operations to halt after drone debris sparked a fire at the facility.
Ships Attacked in Strait of Hormuz
Iran also targeted vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to statements from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported by Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
The Thai-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was fired upon after “disregarding warnings and insistently attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said. Another vessel, the Liberian-flagged Express Rome, was also struck by Iranian projectiles after ignoring warnings from Iranian naval forces, according to the statement.
Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic showed that both vessels had been operating in the Strait earlier in the day.
According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), at least 13 vessels have been attacked across the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman since hostilities began on February 28 following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory response. Three of those incidents occurred on Wednesday alone.
Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters warned that Iran “will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of the United States, the Zionists, or their partners.”
With attacks now targeting ports, storage facilities, and commercial shipping simultaneously, analysts warn the conflict is increasingly evolving into a broader campaign aimed at disrupting the Middle East’s energy supply network.
By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com
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