One Indian crew member was killed and eight sailors, including six Indians, were injured after Iranian cruise missiles struck two UAE-flagged oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, marking a sharp escalation in tensions following fresh US military strikes on Iran.
The Indian government summoned the Iranian envoy.
The attack targeted the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah as they sailed through the southern shipping lane in Omani territorial waters. Besides the six injured Indians, two Ukrainian crew members were also wounded. Four of the injured are reported to be in serious condition.
Condemning the attack, the UAE Ministry of Defence called it a “serious violation of international law” and warned that it posed a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
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 attack resulted in the death of one Indian… pic.twitter.com/i1HrXY0fKP
— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) July 13, 2026
“The UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security and stability, and protects its national interests,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that the country’s armed forces remain on the highest level of operational readiness and are prepared to respond decisively to any threat targeting the UAE’s security or stability.
The strike comes amid intensifying military confrontation between the United States and Iran over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass during peacetime.
The growing conflict rattled energy markets, with Brent crude surging 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel. While still below the nearly $120 peak recorded during the earlier phase of the conflict, the latest jump is expected to add pressure on fuel prices globally.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command announced that American forces had launched another wave of strikes against Iranian military targets.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the US military said in a statement posted on social media.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Donald Trump described the latest operation as “another major attack” and signaled that military action would continue.
“We’re hitting them very hard. And it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We’re knocking out all of their offensive capability and we’re controlling the straits. We’re putting the blockade back.”
Trump also indicated that his administration is considering charging tolls for commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, reversing an earlier position.
“We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world. We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection,” he said.
