UAE Accuses Iran of Striking a Tanker in Hormuz
An oil tanker belonging to the United Arab Emirates’ state energy company was hit by a missile in the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Saturday, sparking a fire that was put out with no casualties. The UAE blamed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, calling it “an act of piracy” and demanding the strait be reopened “fully and unconditionally”. Iran did not immediately respond to the accusation.
The strike was the latest on shipping in the world’s most important oil chokepoint, which Iran has kept largely shut for weeks. The state company, ADNOC, said fifteen of its vessels had been attacked since the conflict began, one crew member killed and twenty injured, though those figures are its own and could not be independently verified. The blame laid on the Revolutionary Guard is the UAE’s, with no Iranian confirmation. Each such attack raises the risk of a wider confrontation drawing in the Gulf’s oil producers, and keeps crude prices elevated. Watch whether Iran responds and whether attacks on shipping intensify.