Several explosions were reported near Dubai’s Jebel Ali area on Wednesday, with videos shared online showing smoke rising over the area.
The cause of the blasts and whether there were casualties have not been confirmed.
Jebel Ali is a major business and shipping centre for the United Arab Emirates, and this latest incident comes as tensions remained high between Iran and the United States.
According to Iranian broadcaster Press TV, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the incident.
However, speaking to CapeTalk/702, Afro Middle East Centre Deputy Executive Director Zeenat Adam said it appears it emanated from Yemen and the Houthis.
“The Houthis have been aligned to the Iranians. They’ve perpetrated some attacks across the border into Saudi Arabia, most recently and now into Dubai. So that adds a dynamic to the instability in the region, and I think it’s a very critical one for us to watch.”
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Adam said Yemen’s Houthi movement has previously threatened to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important route connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
“They’ve been at war with the Saudis for a long time, attacking into Saudi Arabia, so that reigniting is very, very volatile for the region.”
Adams explained that when the Iran-US war began, Saudi Arabia redirected oil shipments.
“In the last few days they’ve created a coalition of about 14 countries to try and police that strait within the Red Sea. The question is whether that would be activated in time before volatility is moved into the Red Sea.”
Wednesday’s developments come as efforts continue to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that it was going to be open ‘very soon’, but warned that if that did not happen, Iran would be ‘hit very hard’.
The Strait was closed by Iran in February after military tensions escalated.
Restrictions eased briefly in June, but attacks resumed, leaving the route largely closed to normal commercial traffic.
Adam said Oman has been involved in efforts to help find a way forward, with discussions about how ships could safely move through the area, but said a long-term agreement is not likely anytime soon.
“I think that we may, in the next few days, see a lull in the exchange of fire. I think that we may see progress within the negotiations and the mediation, but I don’t think it’s going to be a long-standing agreement.”
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