The United Arab Emirates has announced that Iran attacked two ships in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles, killing one crew member and wounding eight others.
“The Ministry of Defence announces that the national tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters,” the Emirati defence ministry wrote on X.
The attack killed one crew member, an Indian national, and wounded eight others, including four who “sustained serious injuries”, it said.
The injured included six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals.
The strikes sparked fires on board both tankers, which caused damage but have since been brought under control, it added.
Both vessels sustained material damage after the fires broke out.
Iran disputes UAE account
Iran said the US military encouraged the two supertankers to use an unauthorised route through the Strait of Hormuz before they were hit and disabled.
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said US forces had urged several vessels to attempt passage through what it described as an illegal route in the strategic waterway.
According to the statement, the two supertankers switched off their navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings from the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Security Control Centre, putting other maritime traffic at risk.
