Just now! The US and Israel launched airstrikes! Spillover risks, Middle Eastern aluminum industry giant attacked—how big is the impact?

The U.S. and Israel suddenly took action.

According to the latest report by Xinhua News Agency, on the 29th, the United States and Israel attacked an Iranian port facility near the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in 5 deaths and 4 injuries. In addition, on the 28th, the Israeli Air Force carried out a large-scale airstrike against infrastructure in the core areas of Tehran.

It is worth noting that the risk of spillover from the Middle East conflict is increasing. On the 29th, Bahrain Aluminum Company said that its factories were struck by Iran on the 28th. Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest aluminum producer in the Middle East, also released an announcement saying that earlier on the 28th, its Tavilara production base in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was hit by Iranian missiles and drones and suffered severe damage. Aluminum products exported from the Middle East account for about one-tenth of global supply, which may create some impact on the market.

U.S.-Israel strike on an Iranian port facility

On March 29, according to Xinhua News Agency citing Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency, the United States and Israel attacked an Iranian port facility near the Strait of Hormuz on the 29th.

Also, according to CCTV News, in a statement issued on the 29th local time, the Israel Defense Forces said that on the 28th, the Israeli Air Force completed a large-scale airstrike targeting infrastructure in the core areas of Tehran. In this operation, the IDF further weakened Iran’s weapon production infrastructure and struck dozens of weapon storage and production sites.

The IDF said that recently it found that, as most of Iran’s military command centers were destroyed during the past month’s “Roaring Lion” operation, Iran has begun relocating command centers to mobile units. In this strike, the IDF destroyed multiple temporary command centers in Iran, including the commanders operating within those command centers. In addition, the IDF also struck Iran’s ballistic missile production and storage facilities, air defense systems, and observation posts.

The IDF said that the strike further weakened Iran’s core system and operational capabilities.

According to the latest update from CCTV International News on the same day, at 8:55 a.m. local time today (March 29), Tehran, the Iranian capital, was hit again by airstrikes, and several explosions were reported from the eastern part of Tehran.

On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement on the 29th saying that the IDF detected Iran launching missiles toward Israel, and the air defense systems began intercepting them.

Also, multiple Iranian media reported that day that Iran began a new round of missile attacks targeting “occupied Palestinian territories.”

CCTV News learned from the Iranian side that a Saudi Arabian Prince Sultan Air Base was hit by Iranian missiles and drones recently, and a U.S. Air Force E-3 early warning aircraft was damaged during the attack.

According to information from the United States, the number of this type of early warning aircraft currently in the U.S. military has been reduced from 30 to 16, and the replacement cost of a single aircraft exceeds $700 million.

It is known that this type of early warning aircraft belongs to an airborne early warning and control system. It can monitor drones, missiles, and various aerial targets within long-distance ranges and provide real-time battlefield situational information for the command system.

According to reports, the E-3 early warning aircraft, as one of the best-known early warning aircraft models of the U.S. Air Force, entered service in the late 1970s and has gained prominence in a series of local conflicts.

Middle East aluminum giant targeted

Two large aluminum plants located in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates within the Gulf countries have both confirmed that they were attacked by Iran. The attack resulted in injuries and property damage. Aluminum products exported from the Middle East account for about one-tenth of global supply, which may create some impact on the market.

On the 29th, Bahrain Aluminum Company said that on the 28th, its factories were struck by Iran, with 2 people sustaining minor injuries, and the company is assessing property losses. The company and its parent company had previously declared “force majeure” due to shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and cut production by about 20%.

Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest aluminum producer in the Middle East, also released an announcement saying that earlier on the 28th, its Tavilara production base in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was hit by Iranian missiles and drones and suffered severe damage.

Emirates Global Aluminium said that several employees were injured in the attack, and all injured people are not in life-threatening danger. The assessment of damage to facilities is still ongoing.

Emirates Global Aluminium is one of the largest aluminum production companies in the Middle East and an important supplier in the global market. The company said the Middle East accounts for about 9% of the global aluminum market (8% if Iran is excluded).

According to the company’s website, for every 25 tons of aluminum produced worldwide, 1 ton comes from Emirates Global Aluminium. This corresponds to 4% of global production capacity.

The facilities targeted in this attack include a smelter plant producing 1.6 million tons of casting aluminum in 2025, as well as a refinery plant that supplies alumina (the main raw material for the metal) for the smelter.

It is currently unclear how this attack will affect production capacity. The company said that during last month’s war between Israel and the United States against Iran, it already had a considerable amount of metal inventory in maritime and overseas warehouses, and it is currently using those overseas inventories to meet customer demand.

In addition, Norway’s Hydro also reduced production at its Qatalum aluminum smelter plant in Qatar.

In a statement issued on the 29th, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that the Guard Corps used missiles and drones to strike two aluminum plants in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain associated with the U.S. military and aerospace industry, in retaliation for actions by the U.S. and Israel in striking civilian facilities such as Iran’s steel plants.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Aragchi said on the 27th that Israel attacked two of Iran’s largest steel plants that day, as well as infrastructure including a power plant and civilian nuclear facilities. The Israeli side also claimed that the strikes were coordinated with the United States. Aragchi warned that Israel would pay a “heavy price” for its crimes.

Editor: Yang Yucheng

Layout: Liu Junyu

Proofread: Wang Chaquan