ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates said on Saturday that Iran had targeted an oil tanker owned by the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as a “hostile Iranian attack”. According to the ministry, the tanker was struck by a missile, but no one was injured.
Later, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a vessel had been hit by a projectile near Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz. The impact started a fire, which was later brought under control. No casualties were reported. It was not immediately clear whether the incident involved the same tanker mentioned by the UAE, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
ADNOC said on Friday that 15 of its vessels had come under attack in the strait since the war began, including three during the past week.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy routes. Before U.S.-Israeli strikes in February triggered a wider regional war, about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the narrow waterway.
Iran has effectively blocked the strait and wants to impose charges on vessels using it, a proposal strongly opposed by the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks with Oman on the strait’s future management were “approaching the final stages”. However, he warned that an agreement would not automatically reopen the waterway.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said that reopening the strait would depend on separate conditions, including compensation from the United States.
