UAE says Iranian missiles hit two oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz, killing one sailor

DUBAI: One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured after two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were hit while sailing through the southern lane of the Strait in Omani territorial waters. The sailor who died was aboard the Mombasa. Of the eight injured, four sustained serious injuries. Six of the wounded are Indian nationals, while the remaining two are Ukrainian nationals.

The missile strikes caused fires and material damage to both vessels, but the blazes were brought under control, the ministry said. The UAE condemned what it described as a "blatant attack" and said it reserved the right to respond to the escalation.

Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck two "offending" supertankers in the Strait of Hormuz after they allegedly ignored repeated warnings, switched off their navigation systems and attempted to pass through what it described as a mined route. The IRGC did not identify the vessels or confirm whether they were the same tankers cited by the UAE.

The IRGC also accused the United States of encouraging ships to use an "illegal route" and warned that cooperation with the "aggressor enemy" would lead to further damage, delays in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a global energy crisis.

In a separate incident, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile about 40 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Qalhat. The vessel's master reported that the projectile hit the starboard-side engine room and that all crew members were safe. Reuters could not immediately verify whether the incident was linked to the attacks reported by the UAE.

The latest incidents come amid rising tensions in the Gulf following the conflict that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The U.S. military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes on Monday as President Donald Trump reinstated a blockade of Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee to protect vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's top joint military command responded by saying the United States had no authority over the future of the strategic waterway and would not be allowed to intervene.

Before the conflict began, the Strait of Hormuz handled around one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments each day, with more than 15 million barrels of fuel worth at least $1.2 billion passing through the route daily.