Two oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz were attacked by Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense announced on July 14 (local time).

The UAE Ministry of Defense stated, "The state-owned oil tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while passing through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters." The ministry added, "One Indian crew member of the Mombasa was killed, and eight others (six Indians and two Ukrainians) were injured."

It further noted that four of the injured are in critical condition and that both vessels caught fire as a result of the attack.

"We strongly condemn this blatant attack, which threatens regional security and constitutes a serious violation of international law," the UAE Ministry of Defense warned. "The UAE reserves the full right to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, citizens, and residents."

While Gulf nations typically do not specify the perpetrator when ships are attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE explicitly identified Iran.

The UAE Ministry of Defense did not disclose the specific time or location of the attack.

Until Iran began blockading the Strait of Hormuz in early March, large vessels such as oil tankers typically navigated through two shipping lanes—north and south—within the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), which largely consists of Omani territorial waters.

Iranian authorities currently designate these lanes as dangerous waters and insist that vessels must pass through the strait using safe routes established by Iran.

These safe routes pass through Iranian territorial waters near Qeshm Island.

Given the explanation from the UAE Ministry of Defense, it appears the tankers struck on this day were navigating the existing TSS.

In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran claimed, "The U.S. military has failed to learn from its repeated failures and, hours ago, incited several ships to attempt to pass through illegal routes."

The IRGC further confirmed, "Two supertankers, deceived by the U.S. military and with their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) turned off, ignored repeated warnings from the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Safety Control Center and proceeded to sail through a route where mines had been laid. These tankers were targeted and neutralized."

The IRGC added, "The Revolutionary Guard informs everyone that cooperating with the invading enemy from thousands of kilometers away (the U.S.) and passing through mined routes will only lead to regret, losses, delays in the reopening of the strait, and a global energy crisis."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)