GCC blames Iran for UAE tanker attack

A UAE oil tanker owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) came under a missile attack while passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz on Saturday morning. ADNOC confirmed the incident through the UAE state news agency WAM, saying no casualties were reported and the situation remains under its control.

However, the UAE Foreign Ministry and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) directly blamed Iran for the attack. GCC Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned the incident, saying it posed a direct threat to safe navigation through one of the world’s most important international waterways. ADNOC said three of its vessels have been targeted by missiles or drones in the Strait of Hormuz this week alone. Since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels have reportedly come under attack, leaving one crew member dead and at least 20 others injured.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Emirati oil tanker was attacked on a US-backed shipping route and was currently on fire, although it did not specify the vessel’s exact location. IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said reopening the Strait of Hormuz would depend entirely on the United States accepting Iran’s conditions and ending interference in regional negotiations. A possible agreement between Iran and Oman on commercial shipping through the Strait has also emerged, but it remains unclear whether Oman or the United States has agreed to the proposed arrangement.