“The situation is extremely tense, but there is no panic,” says Philip Heylen of co-owner Ackermans and van Haaren. The attack did cause damage to the port. Together with local authorities, it was therefore decided to stop work. Several hundred people are therefore at home. There were no injuries in the attack.
According to Heylen, the situation is completely under control. “But it is an environment with petrochemical installations. If a bomb falls on them, you don’t want to experience that.”
Iran, which is carrying out retaliatory strikes in the region over the joint US-Israeli operation against the country, denies involvement in the attack. The Americans use Duqm regularly, but have no basis for it.
