Two UAE oil tankers were hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz on July 14, according to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense. The attack killed one Indian crew member and injured eight others.
The vessels were identified as the Mombasa and its sister ship Al Bahiyah. UAE authorities said the strike took place in the southbound shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters. Both tankers caught fire and were damaged, and the fires have since been brought under control.
On board the Mombasa, one Indian national was killed at the scene. Eight people were injured, including four in serious condition. The injured included six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals.
UAE condemns the strike as UKMTO issues separate alert
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Defense described the incident as a "blatant attack" and said it reserves the right to mount a "full response to this escalatory action."
At roughly the same time, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported that a tanker 40 nautical miles northeast of Qalhat, Oman, had been hit by an unidentified flying object. The ship's master said the starboard engine room was damaged, but all crew members were safe. Reuters said it could not immediately verify whether the report referred to the same incident, and Iranian authorities had not commented on the latest attack.
Trump says passage through Hormuz would come at a price
The strike came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would restore a maritime blockade on Iran. He also said Washington would keep the Strait of Hormuz open, "but charge a fee," and warned that the U.S. military would launch a new and "very hard" round of strikes on Iran within hours.
Iran's top joint military command replied that the United States has no authority to decide the future of the Strait of Hormuz and said Tehran would not stand by while Washington intervenes.
Iranian media says U.S. MQ-1 drone was shot down
Separately, Iranian local media claimed that a U.S. MQ-1 drone was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz late Monday local time by air defense systems operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
An Iranian military statement said any act of aggression that breaks prior commitments would lead Tehran to adjust its defensive strikes "based on the enemy's wrongdoing."