Erbil: A series of drone strikes targeted a British-owned motor oil facility in the Kurdistan region on Wednesday, igniting a massive blaze that sent plumes of black smoke over the city of Erbil as regional tensions continued to escalate.

The facility, a Castrol oil plant operated by the Sardar Group on the Erbil-Mosul road, was reportedly struck by three separate drones throughout the morning. The attacks follow a warning from Seyed Ali Mousavi, Iran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, who stated that Tehran is evaluating whether to launch strikes against British military bases.

The conflict, which began Feb. 28, has increasingly drawn in neighbouring Iraq. Ongoing disruptions to maritime traffic in the Gulf and repeated strikes on energy infrastructure have crippled Iraq's ability to export crude oil, threatening the primary revenue source for the national economy.

Sequential Strikes in Erbil

According to Erbil Governor Omid Xoshnaw, the first drone impacted a warehouse storing automotive lubricants at approximately 7:30 a.m. As emergency crews worked to contain the initial fire, subsequent strikes occurred at 8:40 a.m. and 10:20 a.m.

"The repeated bombardment and the scale of the fire have left nothing inside the depot untouched by flames," Xoshnaw told Kurdistan24.

Security officials reported that a fourth drone was intercepted and destroyed in mid-air before it could reach the target. While the plant sustained extensive damage due to the highly flammable nature of the stored oil, no injuries were reported among the staff. Emergency personnel were eventually ordered to retreat from the site because of the risk of further attacks.

Diplomatic Warnings

In London, Ambassador Mousavi signalled a potential shift in Iran’s stance toward the U.K. While he praised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s initial policy of military non-involvement, he expressed concern over the use of the RAF Fairford airbase by American B-1 and B-2 bombers.

“The initial position made by Prime Minister Starmer is very good,” Mousavi told Times Radio. “We do appreciate... the non-involvement in this criminal act of the American side and the Israeli regime. But unfortunately, now we have realized that the British Fairford military base has been serving for the B2 and B1... jets of the American side to be equipped by the different weapons to use against the Iranian people.”

When asked if British military assets are now considered "legitimate targets," Mousavi replied: “This is the very important matter we are considering. This is a very important matter for our self-defence.”

He added that any final military decision would "depend on" future U.K. activities in the region.