Companies evacuate Dubai financial district

AFP | Dubai

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Citi, consultancies Deloitte and PwC and other firms in Dubai have closed offices or asked employees to evacuate Wednesday after Iran threatened US and Israel-linked economic assets in the Middle East.

The evacuations at the heart of the Middle East's financial hub come as the Gulf but especially the UAE has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes.

Iran's military threatened on Wednesday to attack US and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks, after overnight attacks reportedly hit an Iranian bank.

Employees were asked to evacuate Citi offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and in Oud Metha, a source with knowledge of the evacuations told AFP.

British consulting group PwC will close offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait for the remainder of the week as a "precaution", a second source with knowledge told AFP.

Deloitte, another British consultancy, told its staff to vacate their DIFC offices on Wednesday afternoon, a third source with knowledge told AFP.

Employees at two other companies in DIFC told AFP their offices had been evacuated as a precaution.

They all spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.

Iran's central operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, said "the enemy has given us free rein to target economic centres and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime".

It urged people across the region to refrain from going within one kilometre (half a mile) of banks.

Tehran has targeted US assets in the Gulf but also civilian infrastructure including airports, ports, hotels and landmarks.

Iran has targeted Gulf energy infrastructure and choked shipping in the strait -- which normally carries nearly 20 percent of global oil production -- prompting wild swings in prices.

“Two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport a short while ago, resulting in minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, and moderate injuries to one Indian national,” the Dubai Media Office said.

“Air traffic is operating as normal.”

UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash said Iran “is lying when they claim to be targeting US bases in the Gulf” and slammed the attacks on “civilian infrastructure... with no regard for civilians and innocent people”.