According to Reuters, on July 14 local time, the UAE Ministry of Defence issued a statement stating that two UAE oil tankers were attacked by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the death of an Indian crew member and injuries to eight others.
The UAE Ministry of Defense stated that the attacked oil tankers were the "Mombasa" and "Al Bahiyah". They were en route to the southern channel of the Hormuz Strait, within Oman's territorial waters. The victims were crew members of the "Mombasa" tanker.
It is reported that four of the eight injured people are in serious condition. Among the injured are six Indians and two Ukrainians.
The statement mentioned that the attack caused fires on two oil tankers and resulted in material damage. The fire has been controlled at this point.
The UAE condemned this "flagrant attack" and stated that the UAE reserves "all rights to respond to this escalation".
On the same day, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard said that two 'illegal' super-large oil tankers were hit and lost their ability to operate in the Strait of Hormuz. Prior to this, these oil tankers ignored multiple warnings, shut down their navigation systems, and attempted to pass through 'minefields'.
The Iranian side did not mention the name of the ship, nor did they specify whether the oil tanker that was attacked was the same one mentioned by the UAE Ministry of Defense.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused the United States of ‘instigating ships to use illegal routes’ in its statement, and said cooperation with ‘invading enemies’ would only lead to damage, delayed reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and trigger a global energy crisis.
Screenshot of the statement from the UAE Ministry of Defense
Since the attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel on February 28, when the war began, tensions in the Hormuz Strait have persisted for several weeks.
On July 13th local time, the US military carried out strikes against Iran for the third consecutive night. At the same time, U.S President Trump reimposed sanctions on Iranian shipping and proposed to impose a 20% fee to protect the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded by stating that the United States has no ability to decide or intervene in the future of that waterway.
Reuters reported that this conflict has caused turmoil in the Gulf region. To date, Iran has attacked American bases in several countries. The conflict also casts doubt on the prospects of the temporary US-Iran agreement signed last month, which aims to reopen the Strait and end hostilities.
