The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has condemned Iran following an attack on two ships linked to the country's national oil company in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to UAE media, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) confirmed that two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the waterway on Thursday evening, but the situation has been brought under control. In a statement issued in the early hours of Friday, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs 'strongly condemned the hostile attack by Iran on two ships linked to ADNOC as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz.' The ministry added that there were no casualties from the attack.
Iran has not yet commented on the incident or the UAE's allegation. The attack comes just days after the UAE reported a similar strike on an ADNOC oil tanker last Saturday, which also caused no casualties.
Iran continues to maintain a de facto blockade over the Strait of Hormuz and seeks to impose tolls on users. The United States opposes this plan and has imposed its own sanctions on Iranian shipping. Iran is currently in talks with Oman regarding future management agreements for the strait.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has previously threatened action against any vessel passing through the strait if they are linked to Tehran's adversaries or fail to comply with Iranian directives. The UAE's foreign ministry described Iran's use of the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion as 'piracy' and a 'direct threat to the stability of the region, its people, and global energy supplies.'
Following the attack on the ADNOC vessel last Saturday, the UAE blamed the IRGC. That incident drew condemnation from regional and Arab governments. ADNOC said a total of 15 of its ships have been attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israel war against Iran began in February.
