UAE Accuses Iran of Drone Attacks on Tankers in Strait of Hormuz
The UAE blames Iran for drone attacks on two ADNOC tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them piracy and a threat to regional stability.
The United Arab Emirates has accused Iran of launching drone attacks on two oil tankers operated by its state-owned energy company, ADNOC, as they transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening. The UAE Foreign Ministry described the incident as a "flagrant violation" of international navigation principles and labeled the attacks as "acts of piracy" by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to ADNOC, the attack caused no injuries and the situation was brought under control. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported that two vessels suffered minor damage in a drone attack in the same area, though it did not explicitly identify them as the ADNOC ships.
The UAE Foreign Ministry warned that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail poses a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security. Iran has not yet responded to the allegations.
The incident underscores the ongoing risks for vessels navigating the critical waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and remains under Iran's influence. Meanwhile, in a separate development, Jared Kushner, a senior advisor to former President Donald Trump, is scheduled to travel to the Middle East next week to push for a resolution to the Gaza conflict. The trip, which includes stops in Israel and Cairo, aims to support a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan that has faced opposition from Israel.