The United Arab Emirates on Saturday blamed Iran for targeting a tanker belonging to state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement condemning the attack, the UAE Foreign Ministry said that a hostile Iranian attack had targeted an ADNOC tanker with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. No casualties have been reported so far.
Earlier on Friday, ADNOC issued a statement saying that 15 of its vessels had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war, including three vessels this week alone.
UAE state oil giant ADNOC has been among the most active participants in a US military-led operation to move Gulf crude to international buyers through ship-to-ship (STS) transfers beyond the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global oil shipments, and any disruption to maritime traffic in the region could affect the movement of crude and other energy supplies to international markets.
The conflict has destabilised the Gulf and spread across the region, with Iran attacking U.S. bases in several countries. It has also thrown into question an interim U.S.-Iranian agreement signed last month to reopen the strait and halt hostilities. Before the conflict began in February, around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas traffic passed through Hormuz daily, delivering more than 15 million barrels of fuel to global markets worth at least $1.2 billion.