Despite attacks remaining much more infrequent than at the start of the war, day 13 of the war still saw significant disruptions, with oil, finance, and maritime shipping seeing a setback.

Plus: A handful of incidents of drones and debris from interceptions causing fires were reported in different areas of Dubai, though thankfully without much damage or injuries reported. Fire from a drone attack hit residential and commercial districts including Creek Harbour, Sheikh Zayed Road, and Al Bada’a. Authorities confirmed the fire was contained, and no injuries were reported.

Financial services are being disrupted after DIFC evacuation

Citibank has moved from just evacuating its offices to temporarily shutting down most of its branches and financial centers across the UAE as of yesterday until Saturday, 14 March, as a precautionary measure, according to the company’s website. The group’s Mall of the ⁠Emirates branch is staying open, while other locations are set to reopen their doors on Monday, 16 March.

ICYMI- The move comes after Citi was part of a wider evacuation from DIFC offices, with the bank telling employees in a memo to work remotely until the end of the week. Standard Chartered and Goldman Sachs reportedly also told employees to leave after Iran threatened to target Israeli-linked US banks and tech firms.

…. and maritime disruptions continue

A container ship operated by German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd was hit near Jebel Ali Port, the company’s Director of Communications Nils Haupt told the Wall StreetJournal. The incident resulted in a fire, but no casualties were reported. The firm had previously diverted shipping through the Arabian Gulf, opting to keep calling at Oman’s Salalah Port, rather than Jebel Ali.

Ships in the region have taken a beating this week, with three vessels hit on Wednesday — two off the coast of the UAE and one 11 nm north of Oman.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed “to put pressure on the enemy,” in his first public statement broadcast on Iranian state television, CNBC Arabia reports. Khamenei also warned that all US military bases in the Middle East must be closed immediately, otherwise they would remain targets.

… as did disruptions to oil

TotalEnergies joins list of oil producers halting a portion of regional operations: Total Energies is suspending its offshore field operations across the UAE, Qatar, and Iraq, which accounts for 15% of its global production output, Asharq Business reports.

The energy player said that its onshore operations in the UAE — yielding around 210k bbl / d — remain unaffected by the ongoing regional war. Bahrain’s Bapco and QatarEnergy are among the other firms stopping operations.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has spoken

The UN Security Council adopted a widely backed resolution condemning Iran’s missile and drone attacks on the UAE, other GCC states, and Jordan, while holding Tehran liable for the resulting damage and affirming the region’s right to self-defense, state news agency Wam reports. Bahrain tabled the text on behalf of the GCC and Jordan, Wam reports separately.

Why it matters: The resolution labels the attacks as a “breach of international law” and “affirms the right to self-defense” — effectively strengthening the legal basis for the UAE and its Gulf allies to respond jointly if strikes occur again, without waiting for fresh UN wording.

And Iran’s diplomatic cover looks thinner than usual: The vote passed 13-0, with China and Russia abstaining, and drew 135 co-sponsors. Even the League of Arab States joined the backing, Wam reports elsewhere. The league’s Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the resolution showed broad support for the Arab position, leaving Tehran unusually isolated in the chamber.

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