UAE says Iran hit two of its tankers, killing one crew member

International UAE says Iran hit two of its tankers, killing one crew member Comments: by Max Rego - 07/13/26 10:18 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 07/13/26 10:18 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Monday Iranian forces targeted a pair of its tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member.

The UAE Ministry of Defence wrote on social platform X Iranian cruise missiles hit the country’s Mombasa and Al Bahiyah tankers, which were transiting the southern lane of the waterway within Omani waters.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took responsibility for the attack, saying it struck the “non-compliant” ships, according to the IRNA News Agency. Later Monday, the IRGC also reportedly said it targeted “multiple weapons storage facilities, a satellite communications hub, and U.S. military housing” at an American base in Bahrain.

The Iranian attack resulted in the death of one Indian crew member on the Mombasa tanker and injuries to eight others, including serious injuries to four others, the ministry added. Those injured include six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals.

The Hill has reached out to the Indian and Ukrainian embassies in the U.S. for comment.

“The attack also caused material damage to both tankers as a result of the fires that broke out on board, which have since been brought under control,” the Emirati ministry noted. The ministry asserted the UAE “reserves its full right to respond to this escalation” by Tehran.

Iran has cracked down on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz over the last week, sparking a renewal of hostilities with the U.S. On Monday, President Trump said the U.S. will resume its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The president wrote on Truth Social, “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT.’”

Trump added his administration will impose 20 percent tolls on ships transiting the waterway, through which nearly 34 percent of the world’s oil passed in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said it will resume “blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” on Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST. Also on Monday afternoon, Cencom l aunched strikes on Iran for a third straight night at the president’s direction.

“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 command wrote on X.

The U.S. military conducted four separate rounds of strikes against the Islamic Republic last week, hitting an array of military targets — including air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, and missile and drone capabilities — according to Centcom.

Trump also formally notified Congress last week of the resumption of U.S. military action against Iran, effective July 7. That gives Centcom an additional 60 days from the renewal of strikes to deploy U.S. forces against Iran without congressional approval.

The exchange of strikes between the U.S. and Iran has sparked an increase in oil prices, after the price of fuel dipped to pre-war levels in late June and early July. The price of Brent Crude oil, the international benchmark, is up to $84.25 as of Monday evening.

Updated at 10:57 p.m. EDT.

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