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Iranian cruise missiles struck two UAE-operated oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving one crew member dead and eight others injured, including two Ukrainian citizens, according to Reuters.
What is known about the attack
According to the UAE Ministry of Defence, the missiles hit the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah in the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters.
One crew member aboard the Mombasa was killed. Eight others were wounded, four of them seriously. The injured include six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian citizens.
Fires broke out on both vessels following the strikes but were later brought under control.
The UAE condemned the incident as a "blatant attack" and said it reserves the right to respond to the escalation.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had disabled two "violating vessels" that allegedly ignored warnings and attempted to transit through a mined route. The IRGC also accused the United States of encouraging the ships to proceed.
Earlier, both sides had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire framework, but hostilities have continued. Before that, the United States announced strikes on 90 military targets in Iran.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump also announced plans to restore a maritime blockade of Iran, with Washington seeking to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz by imposing a 20% transit fee on vessels using the waterway.
According to Axios, the White House is preparing for a prolonged confrontation with Iran, with officials expecting the exchange of strikes around the Strait of Hormuz to continue for days or even weeks.
