Iranian Missile Strike on UAE Oil Tankers Kills Indian Crew Member in Strait of Hormuz

An Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured after two United Arab Emirates oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, marking another major escalation in the strategic shipping corridor.

According to the UAE Ministry of Defence, the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah were attacked while sailing through the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters. The ministry said the fatality occurred aboard the Mombasa. Among the eight injured crew members, four sustained serious injuries. Six of the wounded are Indian nationals, while the remaining two are Ukrainian nationals.

The missile strikes caused significant damage to both vessels and triggered onboard fires. UAE authorities confirmed the fires were brought under control and condemned the incident as a “blatant attack,” adding that the country reserves the right to respond to the escalation.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) acknowledged striking two “offending” supertankers, claiming they ignored repeated warnings, disabled their navigation systems, and attempted to sail through what it described as a mined route. The IRGC did not identify the ships or confirm whether they were the same vessels named by the UAE. It also accused the United States of directing ships toward an “illegal route,” warning that such actions could worsen the global energy crisis and delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker northeast of Oman’s Qalhat was hit by an unidentified projectile, damaging its engine room while leaving all crew members safe. Reuters could not immediately confirm whether the incident involved the same vessels.

The attacks come as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to intensify following renewed military operations and the reinstatement of U.S. measures targeting Iranian shipping. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, handling roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the conflict erupted, making any disruption a significant threat to international energy markets.