An Indian national serving as a crew member lost his life and eight others were injured after two UAE-flagged oil tankers came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz during Iranian strikes, marking a sharp escalation in tensions following fresh US military action against Tehran. Among those wounded were six Indians and two Ukrainians, with four sustaining serious injuries.
According to reports, the UAE tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were struck by Iranian cruise missiles while navigating the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.
Reacting to the incident, the UAE Ministry of Defence denounced the attack, calling it a grave breach of international law and warning that it posed a serious risk to regional peace and stability.
It said, "The UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protects its national interests."
The ministry added that the country's armed forces remain at the highest level of operational readiness and are prepared to respond firmly to any action that threatens the UAE's security, stability or national interests.
The strikes unfolded amid intensifying confrontation between Iran and the United States over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime corridor that, in peacetime, carried roughly one-fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas supplies. Following the latest developments, Brent crude surged 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel. Although still below the nearly $120 recorded during the war, the rise is expected to push up energy prices globally.
In a statement posted on social media, US Central Command announced that American forces had launched another wave of military operations against Iranian targets.
"These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the US military said.
Soon after, US President Donald Trump described the campaign as "another major attack."
"We're hitting them very hard. And it'll continue, and we'll see what happens," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're knocking out all of their offensive capability and we're controlling the straits. We're putting the blockade back."
Trump also outlined a shift in his administration's approach to commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz, saying ships passing through the waterway would now face tolls despite earlier indications that no such charges would be imposed.
"We're protecting a very rich portion of the world," he said. "We're spending money. And so, what we've done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection," the US President said.
Also Read | Watch | US Man Held Near Nepal Border Without Passport Claims Former Navy Service
