The United Arab Emirates says it will defend its right to use the Strait of Hormuz after a fresh attack on a vessel operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, adding a sharper UAE-Iran flashpoint to the wider crisis over the strategic waterway.
The National reported Saturday that Dr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, said the country would protect freedom of navigation while still prioritizing diplomacy. His comments followed what UAE officials described as an Iranian attack on an ADNOC vessel on August 14.
ADNOC said one of its vessels came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported and the situation brought under control, according to The National and The Hindu. The incident came one day after the UAE accused Iran of attacking two ADNOC-linked vessels in the same waterway.
A UAE response, not just another ship incident
The new angle is the UAE’s public response. Dr. Gargash framed the issue as a matter of sovereignty, international law and Gulf coordination, saying the UAE would defend its interests while continuing dialogue. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called the attack a breach of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2817, which it said affirmed freedom of navigation.
That matters because the Strait of Hormuz is not a normal regional shipping lane. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil flows moved through the strait. When commercial vessels are struck or threatened there, the consequences can spill quickly into energy prices, insurance costs and global supply planning.
The UAE is also trying to keep the framing broader than a dispute over one national oil company. Its foreign ministry condemned attacks on commercial vessels and the obstruction of maritime routes, while calling for Iran to halt what it described as unprovoked attacks and fully reopen the strait.
The attack follows earlier ADNOC incidents
The latest ADNOC incident follows a run of reported attacks on UAE-linked shipping. Al Jazeera reported Friday that the UAE accused Iran of attacking two ADNOC-affiliated vessels on Thursday evening, with no injuries reported. Iran did not immediately comment on that accusation, Al Jazeera said.
The Hindu also reported that last week ADNOC said three of its tankers had been attacked in the waterway, while the UAE Foreign Ministry separately announced another attack on an ADNOC tanker a day later. The pattern is why even a no-injury incident can carry weight: ship operators and insurers react to risk, not only casualties.
The broader Hormuz standoff remains locked around competing claims of control. Al-Monitor, carrying a Reuters report, said Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi declared that the strait would be opened or closed only under Iran’s command. The same report said only two vessels passed through the strait Friday, with no visible crude oil shipments in Kpler tracking data.
Why this is escalating
The practical risk is cumulative. Each new attack makes Hormuz traffic harder to normalize and gives regional governments more reason to harden their public positions. The UAE is still emphasizing diplomacy, but it is now pairing that with deterrence language and a call for a common Gulf position.
For now, the confirmed public facts are limited: ADNOC says one vessel was attacked on August 14, the UAE says Iran was responsible, no injuries were reported, and Iran has not immediately answered the latest UAE claim in the available reports. But the political signal is clear enough. Abu Dhabi is no longer treating repeated ADNOC-linked incidents as isolated shipping disruptions. It is calling them a direct challenge to navigation rights in the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoint.
Sources: The National; The Hindu; Al Jazeera; Al-Monitor/Reuters.