UAE Oil Tanker Attacked in Strait of Hormuz

The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) state-owned oil company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), said on Saturday that another of its tankers had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, with no casualties reported. It was the latest incident in a waterway at the center of the confrontation between the United States and Iran.

The announcement came a day after the UAE accused Iran of attacking two ADNOC vessels as they passed through the strait. In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned "hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz".

Last week, ADNOC reported that three of its tankers had been attacked in the strait. A day later, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said separately that another company tanker had also been struck.

Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies, and has attacked commercial vessels there since the war began in February. It has said it intends to charge fees for passage through the strait, a move the United States has strongly protested.

The ongoing attacks in the strait, which had been freely navigable before the war in the Middle East began, led to the collapse of the ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran in April.        

(reuters, afp)