Prateek Tanmay
This image from video released by US Central Command, shows an explosion at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, Iran, as three Corsair unmanned surface vessels, also called one-way attack surface drones, fired by the US military, hit the port. (Photo: AP) An Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured after two UAE oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday, as the wider conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran continued to spread across Gulf shipping routes.
In a statement posted on X, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence said the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah came under attack while transiting the southern shipping lane of the strait, inside Omani territorial waters. The Indian national who died was serving aboard the Mombasa, the ministry said. Of the eight others wounded, four sustained serious injuries; six of the injured were Indian nationals and two were Ukrainian nationals.
تعلن وزارة الدفاع عن تعرض الناقلتين الوطنيتين (ممباسا) و (الباهية) للاستهداف بصاروخين جوالين إيرانيين في الممر الجنوبي لمضيق هرمز بالمياه الإقليمية العمانية.
وقد أسفر الاستهداف عن مقتل أحد أفراد طاقم الناقلة (ممباسا) من الجنسية الهندية، وإصابة 8 من بينهم 4 إصابات بليغة. (6 من… pic.twitter.com/KVz3qDu6kf
— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) July 13, 2026
UAE’s Defence Ministry added that the attack on its oil tankers, which it blamed on Iran, “also caused material damage… as a result of fires breaking out on board”.
“The fires have been brought under control on both tankers,” it added.
It condemned the strikes as a blatant attack that amounted to a serious breach of international law threatening regional security, and said the UAE reserves its full right to respond to the escalation.
The ministry further added that its armed forces remain on high alert and are taking all necessary measures to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and interests. It also urged the public to rely only on official sources rather than unverified social media reports.
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Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile roughly 40 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Qalhat, with its master reporting damage to the engine room and no casualties. It remains unclear whether this is connected to the incident described by the UAE. Iran has not commented on either report.
Iranian state television separately claimed the Revolutionary Guards had fired warning shots at vessels allegedly transiting the strait unlawfully a claim that has not been independently verified.
The attack comes weeks into an escalating conflict that began in February, when the US and Israel struck Iranian targets, throwing into doubt a since-frayed interim agreement meant to keep the strait open to shipping.
