Two tankers owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC were attacked on Thursday evening while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the company said.
In a statement cited by news agency AP, the company said that no injuries were reported and the situation was brought under control soon after the attack.
Meanwhile, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said two vessels suffered minor damage after being attacked by drones while transiting the strategic waterway. While it did not identify the vessels, the report appeared to refer to the same incident.
UAE blames Iran for attack
The UAE foreign ministry blamed Iran for the attack and described it as a “flagrant violation” of the United Nations’ principles on freedom of navigation.
“The UAE has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry said in a statement issued early Friday.
It added that no injuries had been reported in the incident.
{{/usCountry}}It added that no injuries had been reported in the incident.
{{/usCountry}}“Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security,” the foreign ministry said.
Iran has not immediately responded to the allegations.
UAE urges reopening of Hormuz Strait
The UAE also called on Iran to stop what it described as unprovoked attacks and demanded the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The UAE further stressed the need for Iran to halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to safeguard regional security, and maintain the stability of the global economy and trade,” the ministry said.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key global shipping route and a major transit point for oil and gas shipments. Any disruption to commercial traffic through the waterway can have wider implications for energy supplies and global trade.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has previously warned that it could take action against vessels passing through the strait if they are linked to Tehran’s adversaries or fail to comply with Iranian directives.