One Indian crew member was killed and six other Indians were injured after Iranian missiles struck two UAE oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.
The ministry said the Emirati tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were hit while sailing through the southern shipping lane of the strait in Omani territorial waters. Two Ukrainian crew members were also injured, bringing the toll to one dead and eight injured. Four of the injured were in serious condition.
The missile strike also caused fires and material damage to both vessels, although the blazes have since been brought under control, the ministry said.
The UAE condemned the attack as a “grave violation of international law” and said it reserved the right to respond, adding that it had raised its state of readiness to protect its security and national interests.
In a separate statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the attack in the strongest terms and extended condolences to the family of the Indian crew member who was killed, as well as to the Government and people of India. It also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The foreign ministry said attacks on commercial shipping and the use of the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of “economic coercion” or “blackmail” amounted to piracy and posed a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security.
The UAE called on Iran to halt what it described as unprovoked attacks, commit to an immediate cessation of hostilities and ensure the full and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that two “offending” supertankers had been hit and disabled in the Strait of Hormuz after allegedly ignoring repeated warnings, switching off their navigation systems, and attempting to pass through what the Guards described as a mined route.
The IRGC statement did not identify the vessels or confirm whether it was referring to the same tankers cited by the UAE Ministry of Defence.
The Guards also accused the United States of “inciting vessels to use an illegal route” and said cooperation with the “aggressor enemy” would only lead to further damage, delays in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and a global energy crisis.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. According to the UAE, the latest developments follow renewed hostilities after the IRGC closed the Strait of Hormuz, prompting retaliatory US strikes on multiple locations across Iran.
Meanwhile, the United States announced that it will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from Tuesday evening.
(Inputs from agencies)
