DUBAI: Arab nations have condemned the latest Iranian attacks against UAE commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, in what was described as a threat to maritime safety and security.
Two tankers linked to UAE-based ADNOC were targeted on Thursday, the second such incident involving ADNOC vessels in less than a week. Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the crucial waterway, and reducing shipping traffic through one of the world’s major energy transit routes to a trickle.
In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry denounced the “unacceptable recurrence of Iranian attacks targeting ships and commercial tankers” and that the repetition of these attacks “represents a dangerous escalation, a direct threat to the safety and security of maritime navigation, and to global energy supply security.”
Saudi Arabia said it held Iran fully responsible for the consequences of continued attacks and called on Tehran to immediately halt such actions, respect international law and ensure freedom and safety of navigation in international waterways.
Riyadh also reaffirmed its full solidarity with the UAE and expressed support for any measures taken by Abu Dhabi to protect its security and interests.
Qatar, Jordan and Egypt, in separate statements, also affirmed their solidarity with the UAE and full support for all measures the Emirates has taken “to protect its security, stability, and resources.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry stressed a “categorical rejection of using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of pressure and calls for its unconditional reopening.”
“The Ministry affirms that freedom of navigation in this vital waterway is a fundamental and non-negotiable principle, and that the continued closure of the Strait jeopardizes the vital interests of the region’s countries and the global economy,” the statement noted.
“The necessity of stopping all acts that threaten international maritime security and safety, or put vessels and civilian infrastructure at risk. It stresses the imperative of respecting international law to help de-escalate tensions and maintain regional security and stability,” the Egyptian foreign ministry meanwhile said in its statement.
Jassim Mohammed Al-Badawi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation, also condemned the latest Iranian attacks on the two ADNOC-linked tankers.
The UAE foreign ministry also issued a similar statement condemning the Iranian attacks against the ADNOC-affiliated vessels.
“The targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security,” the statement read.
