UAE accuses Iran of missile attack on Adnoc oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Attack on the tanker

On Saturday, 8 August 2026, the United Arab Emirates announced that an oil tanker belonging to the national company Adnoc had been targeted in the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE foreign ministry condemned what it called a hostile Iranian missile attack on the vessel while it was transiting the strait. No casualties were reported. Separately, the British maritime agency UKMTO reported that a vessel had been struck by a projectile of unknown origin, causing a fire that was brought under control. The UKMTO said the crew was safe and no environmental impact had been reported. Iran had not commented on the incident at the time of reporting.

Pattern of targeting

Adnoc stated on Friday, 7 August, that 15 of its vessels had been targeted in the strait since the war began in late February, including three in the past week alone. The UAE and other Gulf countries allied with Washington have been regularly targeted by Tehran in retaliation for the American-Israeli offensive on Iran launched on 28 February. Before the conflict, a fifth of global hydrocarbons passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE foreign ministry said the use of the strait as a means of pressure or economic blackmail represented a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security, and urged Iran to cease the aggressive attacks.

The use of the Strait of Hormuz as a means of pressure or economic blackmail represents a direct threat to the stability of the region and its populations, as well as to global energy security.

Diplomatic track and obstacles

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that negotiations between Iran and Oman, whose coasts also border the strait, are approaching their final phase. Tehran said it had agreed with Muscat on a transit route for ships, but discussions are delayed due to technical problems. Araghchi cautioned that the conclusion of negotiations does not mean Hormuz will reopen, citing other conditions and compensations to discuss due to violations of the protocol agreed in mid-June with the United States, which has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

The conclusion of the negotiations does not of course mean that Hormuz will reopen.

The Revolutionary Guards pushed back on the diplomatic track, stating that the reopening of the strait follows its own mechanism and has nothing to do with the negotiations between Iran and Oman. They added that the enemy is forced to accept Iran's conditions for the opening of the strait and to refrain from interfering in the ongoing negotiations between Iran, Oman and other countries.

Trump's claims and regional realignment

The attack follows statements by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, 6 August, who said the conflict would soon end and that Iran could not hold on much longer. Trump claimed negotiations were on track and that he was involved in the negotiations, touting a rapid agreement to reopen the strait. Iranian sources told local media that any reopening depends on Washington, which has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports. On Friday, 7 August, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sealed a joint defense pact in Mecca.