Chinese crew members recently witnessed a suspected Iranian drone strike on the Salalah Port oil storage facility in Oman while at sea and captured footage of the event. The related video quickly went viral online, showing a drone flying at low altitude, after which an explosion erupted and a massive fire broke out at the port, creating a dramatic scene.
According to reports, the incident occurred on the 11th of this month. In the footage, a drone is seen approaching the port area, followed by a huge explosion and thick smoke. The Chinese crew member filming the video repeatedly exclaims in Mandarin, “Damn, it really blew up!” and “They're fighting! Let's get out quick!”, reflecting the urgent situation at the time.
Omani officials later confirmed that the fuel storage area at Salalah Port was hit by a drone and caught fire that day. Local fire units quickly deployed and used foam extinguishing agents to control the flames, fortunately preventing a more severe oil pollution accident.
The Omani government strongly condemned the attack as an “indiscriminate strike,” noting that Salalah Port is a critical international transshipment hub handling about 10% of the world’s oil transit. The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also issued a statement, describing the incident as a serious threat to regional stability.
Analysts point out that in recent years, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has repeatedly used “Shahed-136” suicide drones to launch low-cost asymmetric attacks on critical Gulf infrastructure. The incident comes amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with the risk of regional conflict rising after recent U.S.-Israeli coalition airstrikes on Iranian targets, and the safety of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz drawing heightened concern.
However, Iran has yet to take full responsibility for the strike. A spokesperson for the Iranian Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command said the incident was “highly suspicious” and remained under investigation, emphasizing that Iran had no intention to target its friendly neighbor Oman and warning that hostile forces could be using a “false flag operation” to frame Iran and escalate the conflict.
In response to the incident, international oil prices surged, with Brent crude rising to as high as $94 per barrel. The market fears interruptions in shipping through the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, which might further impact global energy supplies and economic stability.