RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned on Saturday the targeting of a tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, expressing full solidarity with the UAE.
The Kingdom stressed that the “unacceptable attacks” on shipping threatened maritime security and global energy supplies, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Kingdom held Iran responsible for the consequences of continuing such attacks, describing them as a serious violation of international law and norms governing freedom of navigation and safe passage through international waterways.
It called on Tehran to immediately halt the attacks to preserve regional security and stability, while reaffirming its support for measures taken by the UAE to protect its sovereignty and national assets.
Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge users for passage, which the US fiercely opposes, and is in talks with nearby Oman over arrangements for the strait’s future management.
Jasem Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), criticized Iran’s approach to use the Strait of Hormuz as a means of exerting pressure or issuing threats and called on the international community to take a firm position to prevent further attacks and ensure safe navigation through the waterway.
He described the attack as a “dangerous” escalation and a threat to maritime navigation and international trade.
Gulf and Arab states joined the condemnations, calling for an immediate end to attacks on commercial shipping and warning that continued disruption of the strategic waterway threatens global trade and energy supplies.
Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain issued statements denouncing the attack as a violation of international law, while reaffirming their solidarity with the UAE and support for measures taken by the country to protect its sovereignty and interests.
Qatar called for the unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, saying freedom of navigation through the strategic passage was a “fundamental and non-negotiable principle.”
Doha warned that the continued closure of the strait threatened the vital interests of regional countries as well as the global economy, while calling on Iran to halt attacks on the assets of neighboring states.
Bahrain urged the UN Security Council to take decisive measures to protect navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and other major international waterways, and called on the international community to press Iran to reopen the strait and end attacks on commercial vessels.
The statements cited UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which they said affirmed freedom of navigation and safe passage through international waterways.
Nabil Fahmy, Secretary General of the Arab League, also condemned the missile attack, describing it as the latest in a series of Iranian violations of freedom of navigation.
Fahmy held Tehran “fully responsible” for attacks targeting Arab assets and warned that such actions carried serious consequences for regional security and stability.
Syria and Jordan joined the regional condemnation, with their foreign ministries reaffirming its solidarity with the UAE and support for measures taken to safeguard its security, stability and vital assets.
The UAE foreign ministry in a statement condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to ADNOC with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties.”
On Friday, ADNOC had put out a statement saying that since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz, “including three vessels this week alone.”
