One dead and eight injured in an attack on UAE oil tankers attributed to Iran

An attack attributed to Iran against two oil tankers transiting the southern maritime route of the Strait of Hormuz caused the death of an Indian crew member and injuries to six Indians and two Ukrainians, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense reported early this Tuesday.

The ministry indicated on its X account that two cruise missiles attacked the oil tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah as they were moving through Omani jurisdictional waters.

According to the UAE Ministry of Defense, “the attack also caused material damage to both oil tankers as a result of the fires that broke out on board, which the crews have since brought under control.”

“The United Arab Emirates reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents, in a way that safeguards its sovereignty, security and stability, and protects its national interests,” added the message on X.

New attacks against Iran

The attack on the oil tankers became known hours after the United States Central Command (Centcom) reported the start of a third consecutive night of attacks against Iran by order of President Donald Trump, with operations aimed at imposing “a high cost” on Tehran.

As reported by Centcom on its X account, the bombings seek to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and they began just minutes after Trump stated in an interview that the Persian country would be hit “very hard” this very night.

The new US offensive comes after Trump announced the reinstatement of the naval blockade against Iran and asserted that Washington will assume the role of “guardian of the Strait of Hormuz,” one of the most important maritime routes for global energy trade.

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The Iranian Army, for its part, warned that it will not allow, “under any circumstances,” for the U.S. to “interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” in response to Trump’s statements and after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard stated on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed “until further notice.”

The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to end the war, unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and open negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, but tension has increased in recent days due to new cross-attacks in the Middle East.