The United Arab Emirates on Monday strongly condemned the targeting of a tanker affiliated with Abu Dhabi’s state oil firm, ADNOC, while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an “Iranian terrorist attack.”
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the tanker was targeted by two Iranian drones as it transited the strait, adding that no injuries were reported. The ministry further stated that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz “as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president, said in a post on X: “These attacks confirm that the Iranian threat to the security and stability of the region is ongoing and cannot be ignored.” The statement from Abu Dhabi comes amid heightened tensions in the key waterway.
This incident comes after the Strait of Hormuz emerged as a major flashpoint in the tensions between the US and Iran following US President Donald Trump ordering an operation: “Project Freedom” under which the US forces will escort merchant vessels through the strategic corridor using missile destroyers and over 100 aircraft.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday declared it is prepared to “respond to US threats” in the Strait of Hormuz, as the strategic waterway has become the latest flashpoint in the escalating standoff between Tehran and Washington triggered by Trump’s announcement of “Project Freedom”.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, in a statement carried by the semi-official Mehr news agency, described Iran as the strait’s “guardian and protector,” making clear that any ship seeking safe passage must coordinate with Iranian authorities.
“Ships and shipping companies well know that ensuring their security requires coordination with the competent authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. He added that there was no reason for law-abiding nations to follow what he called “illegal actions” by the United States.
Asserting its control over the vital artery of global trade, Iran announced a new map of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran redefined the control zone in the Strait of Hormuz, stretching from the south of Mount Mobarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE, and from the west of Qeshm Island in Iran to Umm al-Quwain in the UAE.
While acknowledging that diplomatic talks and exchange of proposals are going on between Tehran and Washington, Baghaei confirmed that Iran had received a US counterproposal, delivered through Pakistan, aimed at ending the war.
He, meanwhile, declined to divulge the details, saying the matter remains under review. He noted that Washington’s habit of making “excessive and unreasonable demands” made the proposal difficult to assess.
He also pushed back on media reports about nuclear negotiations, calling them “mostly speculation.”
Iran, he emphasised, is currently focused on one thing, and that is a complete cessation of hostilities. The direction of talks may take us beyond that, he said, and will be determined later.
Meanwhile, the IRGC’s tone on the ground was considerably less diplomatic due to the threats from the US military of Hormuz action. Spokesman Sardar Mohebbi warned that any vessel failing to comply with Tehran’s transit protocols would be “forcefully stopped.”
He said ships that coordinate with the IRGC Navy and follow designated routes would travel “safe and sound,” but that any movement outside those parameters would “face serious risks.” He urged all shipping companies and transport insurers to take the IRGC’s announcements seriously.
Taking the concerns of the countries, whose vessels have been stranded in Hormuz, under consideration, the US-led Joint Maritime Information Centre has advised ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz in Oman’s territorial waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area”.
It’s unclear whether any vessels are attempting to cross Hormuz, or whether shipping companies and their insurers will feel comfortable taking the risk, given Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that two US-flagged merchant vessels have transited through the Strait of Hormuz since the launch of Project Freedom.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency called President Trump’s “Project Freedom” to get commercial vessels moving in the strait “delirium”.
