The UAE has vowed to protect its strategic assets and condemned what it called an attack on commercial shipping, warning that the targeting of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz threatens regional stability and global energy security.
A representative image of commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. | IANS/Xinhua
An Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured after two UAE-flagged tankers were struck by what the United Arab Emirates says were Iranian cruise missiles while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.
The UAE Ministry of Defence said the tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted while transiting the southern shipping lane of the strategic waterway. The attack also damaged both vessels and triggered onboard fires, which have since been extinguished.
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According to the ministry, the deceased was an Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa. Eight people were injured, including six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals. Four of the injured sustained serious injuries.
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The ministry said both tankers suffered material damage due to the fires caused by the strike.
Calling the incident a grave violation of international law, the UAE Ministry of Defence said it reserves the right to respond to what it described as a serious escalation.
“The Ministry of Defence announces that the national tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters. The attack resulted in the death of one Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa tanker and the injury of eight others, including four who sustained serious injuries. The injured comprise six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals. The attack also caused material damage to both tankers as a result of the fires that broke out on board, which have since been brought under control,” the ministry said.
It added that the UAE remains prepared to deal with any threats and urged the public to rely only on official sources for information.
In a separate statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the family of the deceased Indian crew member.
“The Ministry extended its sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of the victim, as well as to the Government and people of the Republic of India, and wished all the injured a speedy recovery,” it said.
The ministry further said attacks on commercial shipping and the use of the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of “economic coercion” or “blackmail” amount to piracy and threaten regional stability as well as global energy security.
“The UAE 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,” it added.
The attack comes amid renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran.
According to the UAE statement, the escalation followed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), after which the United States carried out retaliatory strikes inside Iran.
The statement also said the US plans to resume a maritime blockade targeting traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports, while US President Donald Trump said the blockade would apply to Iran and entities doing business with Tehran, but not to vessels from other countries transiting the Strait.
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