The United Arab Emirates has accused Iran of carrying out attacks on two vessels linked to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as they transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening. ADNOC said the ships were attacked but the situation was "brought under control" and that no injuries were reported.
"The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz," the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued early Friday.
Iran had not immediately responded to the UAE's allegations. The incident follows a reported attack on an ADNOC tanker just days earlier. ADNOC has said that, since February, a total of 15 of its vessels have been targeted while transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened regional tensions.
Context
UAE and some international sources have described Iran's recent actions in the Strait as an attempt to exert economic pressure by restricting passage or seeking to charge ships for transit. The United States opposes such moves and has taken measures aimed at countering threats to shipping linked to Iranian activity.
Separately, Iran is reported to be in talks with Oman about arrangements for future management of the strait. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has previously warned it may take action against vessels it says are connected to Tehran's adversaries or that fail to follow Iranian directives.
Regional Reaction And Risks
The UAE Foreign Ministry accused Iran of using the strait as a tool of economic coercion and called those attempts "piracy," saying they threaten regional stability and the global energy supply. After the earlier weekend strike, the UAE blamed the IRGC; that attack also caused no injuries but drew condemnation from regional governments.
Claims and counterclaims over incidents in the Strait of Hormuz have significant implications for international shipping and energy markets. Many of the allegations remain unverified in independent public reporting, and officials on all sides continue to frame the events within broader regional security disputes.
