On August 8, the United Arab Emirates condemned what it described as an Iranian attack on a carrier linked to its state oil company that occurred in the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE accused Tehran of engaging in "acts of piracy."
The state news agency WAM reported that ADNOC, the UAE's oil company, stated one of its vessels was hit by a missile early Saturday, but confirmed the situation was under control.
The UAE Foreign Ministry later labeled the incident as a "hostile Iranian attack" on the ADNOC vessel.
Details about the tanker, its cargo, or any damage have not been disclosed, and there were no reports of injuries.
Before the ongoing conflict, around one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran. However, since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began on February 28, shipping has faced repeated disruptions, raising freight costs and increasing security fears.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry stated this attack was a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution regarding freedom of navigation. They accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of "acts of piracy" for targeting commercial shipping and using the waterway for economic pressure.
The ministry called on Iran to stop these attacks and open the Strait of Hormuz fully and without conditions.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards had previously threatened to take action against vessels in the strait associated with their adversaries or those that do not follow Iranian rules.
ADNOC mentioned on Friday that it has been severely impacted by what it called unprovoked attacks on its personnel and assets, yet it continues to fulfill customer demands in a "very challenging environment."
The company stated that since the start of the conflict, 15 of its vessels have been attacked by missiles and drones while passing through the strait, including three this week, which resulted in one crew member being killed and 20 others injured.
ADNOC did not disclose who was responsible for the attacks in its Friday statement.
ADNOC, the state oil company of Abu Dhabi, is one of the largest energy producers in the world, exporting crude oil, natural gas, and refined products globally.