ADNOC Logistics and Services confirmed on Tuesday that one of its vessels was damaged in an attack in the United Arab Emirates' territorial waters, the latest strike on commercial shipping in the Gulf as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran grinds into its ninth month.
The maritime logistics arm of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said the incident took place in the Arabian Gulf on Tuesday afternoon. Response teams were dealing with the damage, the company said in a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency WAM, adding that further updates would follow.
ADNOC did not name the vessel, describe the extent of the damage, or say whether anyone aboard was hurt. It did not say who carried out the attack, and urged the public to rely only on official sources and to avoid circulating rumours or unverified reports.
An oil tanker takes on crude oil at the Al Basrah Oil Terminal in the Persian Gulf. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Eben Boothby, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.)
A widening campaign against Gulf shipping
The attack is the latest in a run of strikes on tankers and commercial vessels around the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf in recent days.
Over the weekend, two tankers were hit within an hour of each other on Saturday evening about eight nautical miles northwest of Khasab, Oman, according to incident reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The first vessel caught fire and its crew was evacuated; the second was struck by an unidentified projectile, with all crew reported safe. A third vessel suffered an explosion at the waterline about 16 nautical miles east of Khasab on Friday.
Late last month, Qatar Gas Transport Company, known as Nakilat, reported that its vessel Al Maayeda was attacked by unidentified objects while sailing in the Arabian Gulf on October 30. No crew members were injured and there was no environmental impact, the company said. The UAE condemned that attack, calling it a "grave threat" and a "dangerous escalation" aimed at undermining the security of critical waterways.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow channel that carries about a fifth of the world's oil — is now running about 65 percent below pre-conflict levels, according to UKMTO's latest weekly report, which counted 170 outbound and 155 inbound transits. Iran has also been reported to have targeted radar systems on Oman's Didamar Island, and a tanker that caught fire off Khasab was classified by UKMTO as an attack.
Trump says no new strikes are needed — for now
The attack came a day after President Donald Trump said he believed the war in Iran was "militarily effectively over" and that further US military action "doesn't seem to be a very necessary thing" — while warning that American forces remain "locked and loaded" and ready to resume strikes if circumstances change.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 allies on Tuesday that US economic sanctions and the naval blockade of Iran are working "so well" that Mr. Trump sees no need for major combat operations at present, according to Reuters. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, cautioned after the G7 meeting in Paris that the risk of a new escalation "has not been completely ruled out."
Oil prices eased on Mr. Trump's remarks. Brent crude fell $2.92, or 3.15 percent, to $89.65 a barrel in afternoon trading on Tuesday, as traders bet that the lull in fighting would hold and as concerns about oversupply returned to the fore.
Tehran, for its part, has demanded that Washington lift its naval blockade and some sanctions in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with talks on its nuclear programme to follow — a gap that remains wide despite days of mediation by Qatar.
Gulf states brace as Houthis fire on Riyadh
The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday that its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile and a cruise missile fired by Yemen's Houthis toward Riyadh, and schools in the Saudi capital moved classes online. Houthi spokesmen claimed a wider series of attacks on Saudi targets, including the King Khalid International Airport and an Aramco facility at Abqaiq — claims that have not been independently verified.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gulf states approved a joint military command headquarters in Kuwait, a sign of how the region's governments are preparing for a conflict that shows no sign of a settlement even as the shooting pauses.
For now, the pattern is clear: the big guns have gone quiet, but the shadow war on the water — tankers, terminals and trade routes — is still very much under way.
Sources: Emirates News Agency (WAM), Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Reuters, Splash247.