Tensions across the Persian Gulf spiked on Thursday evening after two commercial oil tankers operated by Abu Dhabi's state energy giant, ADNOC, came under direct assault while navigating through the congested waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime tracking agencies and the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that both outward-bound vessels were struck by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), suffering superficial hull damage in the process.
Emergency teams aboard the ships moved quickly to secure the scene, with company officials confirming that the situation was brought under control within hours and that all crew members emerged unharmed. The strikes triggered immediate diplomatic fury in Abu Dhabi, where the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an unusually sharp rebuke pointing the finger straight at Tehran.
Emirati diplomats condemned the incident as a blatant breach of international maritime norms and a direct challenge to United Nations Security Council resolutions guaranteeing the freedom of navigation. In its formal statement, the ministry labeled the strikes state-sponsored piracy carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accusing Iranian forces of weaponizing one of the world's most critical crude export corridors to mount economic coercion and political blackmail.
The confrontation comes against a backdrop of escalating maritime volatility in the narrow waterway, which carries roughly a fifth of the world's daily petroleum supply. In the wake of the latest drone hits, neighboring Gulf partners including Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued swift statements backing the UAE, warning that repeated strikes against commercial tankers risk triggering broader regional fallout and destabilizing worldwide energy markets.
Urging the international community to take a firmer stance, Abu Dhabi called for an immediate and unconditional reopening of unhindered transit routes through Hormuz, demanding that Tehran halt unprovoked maritime skirmishes before civilian shipping lanes become permanently compromised.