Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the Middle East's largest aluminum producer, shut down its Al Taweelah smelter in Abu Dhabi following Iranian missile and drone strikes that inflicted substantial damage.

The attacks occurred on March 28 in the Khalifa Economic Zone, targeting the smelter, casthouse, power plant, alumina refinery, and recycling plant. A power loss triggered an uncontrolled shutdown of the smelter's potlines, causing molten metal to solidify inside the circuits and complicating recovery efforts. EGA evacuated the site fully and placed all facilities into emergency shutdown. The company reported several non-life-threatening injuries among its multinational workforce, with those affected recovering well.

EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban stated, “We are deeply disturbed by this attack on our people, who come from more than 40 nations and were simply doing their jobs. Our Al Taweelah site is a foundation of the global economy, and a significant contributor to global supply, making this incident damaging to industries and prosperity worldwide.” The facility produced 1.6 million tonnes of cast aluminum metal in 2025, underscoring its importance to international markets.

Restoration of the smelter could take up to 12 months, though the alumina refinery and recycling plant might resume partial operations sooner, pending assessments. EGA holds substantial metal stocks in the UAE and abroad to mitigate short-term disruptions for customers.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the strikes hit industries linked to the US military and aerospace sectors in the region, part of a broader campaign of attacks on Gulf targets since late February. Similar assaults damaged Aluminium Bahrain's facility, wounding two employees. The UAE has intercepted hundreds of Iranian projectiles using advanced defense systems like THAAD and Patriot, though some strikes penetrated defenses.

The incident has rippled through commodity markets, with London Metal Exchange aluminum futures rising nearly 6 percent amid supply concerns. The United States, which imports about 60 percent of its aluminum, faces potential chain disruptions from the Gulf outages. Gulf states, including the UAE, condemned the strikes as violations of international law and escalated defensive measures amid the ongoing regional conflict.