Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned Iran's attack on the oil tanker Sidr, owned by the national shipping line Bahri, as it transited the Strait of Hormuz two days earlier. Two Filipino nationals were killed in the assault.
In a statement, the ministry stressed "the need to halt escalation, respect international maritime safety, and secure global energy supplies."
Regional neighbors also condemned the attack, one of several recent incidents in the conflict between the U.S.-Israel alliance and Iran that began on February 28. Kuwait and Qatar's foreign ministries said the attack violated international law and freedom of navigation. Qatar called it "a blatant breach of international law and freedom of navigation," rejecting the use of the Strait of Hormuz as "a bargaining chip."
Bahri confirmed the incident on social media, saying its vessel Sidr "encountered a security incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz" on Monday evening. The company said it remained in contact with the ship and was coordinating closely with authorities and maritime industry stakeholders, closely monitoring developments.
Iran has repeatedly attacked and threatened tankers attempting to use the strategic waterway without permission, hindering energy exports from neighboring oil-rich states. The U.S. maintains that vessels can safely navigate the route, although traffic has fallen sharply. Washington has pledged to continue counter-blockades of Iranian ports indefinitely.
According to the Greek maritime risk firm Marisks, unidentified objects struck two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Monday into Tuesday. Kpler data showed that both vessels had loaded two million barrels of crude at Saudi Arabia's Juaymah terminal on the eastern coast the previous week. On Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two tankers had caught fire after hitting mines while transiting the strait.
Before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran erupted, roughly 20% of world oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz. In July, another Bahri tanker, the ultra-large crude carrier Wedyan, was attacked in the strait near Oman's coast. Two other Bahri vessels, Masa and Amzan, were hit in the Red Sea in July and August after Yemen's Houthi forces declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
