(Bloomberg) — The Middle East’s biggest aluminum producer suffered “significant damage” during an Iranian missile and drone attack on Saturday, highlighting the challenge for the global economy as the ongoing war in the Middle East disrupts vital sectors. The UAE is a major supplier to global markets and Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) operates its largest metallurgical plant there.
The attack is a further blow to the region’s commodities industry, with producers of everything from energy to fertilizer largely barred from exporting due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
In addition to the disruption to shipping, Iranian attacks have damaged key installations, which will likely increase the time it takes for operations to return to normal once the war ends.
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Aluminum prices, which had already been rising before the conflict, have risen further as traders and buyers focus on the potential for a tighter market and reduced global inventories. The Middle East accounts for about 9% of global supply, and much of that production is now blocked within Hormuz. Higher commodity prices will weigh on global economies, according to Goldman Sachs Group.
EGA is still assessing the damage from the attack on its Al Taweelah complex, located in the industrial zone of Khalifa Port, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the company said in a statement. The company confirmed that several employees were injured, but declined to say whether operations at the facility had been suspended.
Abu Dhabi’s media office said on Saturday that six people were injured in three fires caused by debris from intercepted ballistic missiles near the Kezad industrial zone.
The attacks were part of a series of attacks by Iran against Gulf countries, even as the Trump administration held discussions on a possible ceasefire.
As the largest non-energy industrial company in the UAE, EGA operates two smelters, one in each of the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Al Taweelah complex is halfway between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the Khalifa Economic Zone, along the Persian Gulf. The Dubai plant is in the Jebel Ali port and free zone area.
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The Al Taweelah smelter produced 1.6 million tons of molten metal in 2025. The company had substantial stocks of the metal abroad when Israel and the US began their war against Iran last month, as well as in some overseas locations, according to the statement. It has been using this external product to help meet customer demand.
EGA has been a major international investor and is part of the UAE’s pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in the US over the next decade. The UAE has been the second-largest supplier of aluminum to the US, well behind Canada, and is building the first new American smelter in decades in Oklahoma.
In the US, EGA also owns a recycling plant in Minnesota, which has allowed it to benefit from the fact that domestically produced metals are selling at higher prices due to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
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