The vessels were attacked on the evening of Thursday, August 13, while transiting the strategically important waterway. No crew members were injured and the situation aboard the ships was brought under control, ADNOC said. Details of damage to the vessels, their cargoes and the weapons used in the attacks were not immediately disclosed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes constituted a “flagrant violation” of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817. The resolution, adopted in March, affirmed navigational rights and freedoms for merchant and commercial vessels and rejected attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Abu Dhabi accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps of committing acts of piracy by targeting commercial shipping and using access to the strait as a means of economic pressure. The ministry said such actions posed a direct threat to the stability of the region, its people and global energy security.
The attacks add to a series of security incidents involving vessels linked to ADNOC during the conflict surrounding Iran. The company has reported repeated missile and drone attacks against ships operating through the waterway since hostilities escalated earlier this year. One crew member has been killed and about 20 people injured across those incidents.
Another ADNOC-linked vessel was targeted by a missile on August 8 while passing through the strait. No injuries were reported in that attack. UAE authorities also condemned the strike and called for an immediate end to attacks on civilian and commercial shipping.
The latest incidents have sharpened concerns about the safety of one of the world’s most important maritime energy corridors. The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and serves as a critical passage for crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied natural gas exports from major regional producers.
Shipping activity through the strait has fallen substantially as operators assess security risks and insurers price the possibility of further attacks. Commodity vessel movements have remained below normal levels, with some operators delaying passages or adjusting routes and sailing arrangements where possible.
ADNOC has continued moving crude and petroleum products despite the disruption, using logistical measures designed to maintain supplies to customers. The company has expanded its shipping capacity and has increasingly relied on operational flexibility to cope with the heightened risks surrounding maritime transport.
The crisis has also placed greater importance on the UAE’s export infrastructure outside the Strait of Hormuz. Abu Dhabi’s pipeline network allows substantial volumes of crude to be transported to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, giving the country an alternative outlet that bypasses the strait. Nevertheless, maritime access through Hormuz remains important for regional trade and energy movements.
Pressure on shipping has intensified amid the wider confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Maritime security has become one of the central elements of the conflict, alongside attacks on energy installations, sanctions and military operations. Tehran has linked restrictions on movement through the strait to its broader demands in negotiations over the conflict and international economic measures.
Iran has sought changes including relief from sanctions and an end to military pressure as part of conditions surrounding normal navigation. Efforts mediated through Oman have attempted to establish arrangements that could restore more predictable commercial traffic, but a lasting agreement has remained elusive.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2817 on March 11 amid mounting concern over interference with international shipping. The measure reaffirmed that merchant vessels are entitled to exercise navigational rights under international law and treated attempts to impede lawful passage through the Strait of Hormuz as a threat to international peace and security.