Two tankers struck by drones in Strait of Hormuz: UKMTO
London, Aug 14 (IANS) Two tankers were struck by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, sustaining minor damage though all crew reported safe, the United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday.
According to two UKMTO advisories, military authorities reported that the tankers were hit by UAVs while conducting outbound transit of the strait.
The advisories said both vessels sustained only minor damage. All crew members were reported safe, and no environmental impact has been reported.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s most important energy shipping chokepoints. The incidents came amid heightened regional security tensions, Xinhua News Agency reported.
On the same day, two vessels belonging to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening, local authorities and media said early Friday.
In a statement posted on social media, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Iranian attacks, stressing the necessity for Iran to cease attacks.
The company confirmed that no injuries have been reported, and the situation has been brought under control, according to the official Emirates News Agency.
The report did not provide further details on the specific vessels involved or the extent of damage caused by the attacks.
The state-owned ADNOC is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world, serving as the primary driver of the UAE’s economy.
Iran’s main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Thursday that no commercial vessel or oil tanker has been, or will be, able to cross the Strait of Hormuz safely without the Iranian armed forces’ permission and supervision.
In a video message carried by Iranian media, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the headquarters’ spokesman, said that, as in the past, the Strait of Hormuz is under Iran’s full control and management, rejecting US claims about vessels’ normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz as being “false and nothing but lies.”
He added the US “false” claims are indicative of its army’s “desperation and helplessness,” stressing that the US leaders and army have well tested the Iranian armed forces’ “power and resistance.”
–IANS
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