The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has alleged that four commercial vessels were “subjected to sabotage” on Sunday.
The incident took place near the UAE’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, close to the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for crude exports.
“The carrying out of sabotage on commercial and civilian vessels and threatening the safety and lives of those on board is a serious development,” said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said that authorities have “taken all necessary measures, and are investigating the incident” in cooperation with local and international bodies.
“The carrying out acts of sabotage on commercial and civilian vessels and threatening the safety and lives of those on board is a serious development,” it said.
It called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to “prevent such actions by parties attempting to undermine maritime traffic safety and security”.
It added that there were no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels and that there had been no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.
No blame was apportioned for the attack. No further details of the damage to the vessels or their nationality was released.
The government of Fujairah on Sunday denied reports in Iran- and Russia-linked media that explosions had taken place within the emirate’s port.
The foreign ministry statement described the reports as “baseless and unfounded”, saying that operations within the port were under way as normal, without any interruption.
Last week, the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) warned that US commercial ships, including oil tankers, sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to US interests posed by Tehran.
In the advisory posted on Thursday, the MARAD said that since early May there had been "an increased possibility" of Iran or its regional proxies taking action against US and partner interests.
MARAD added that US-flagged ships were encouraged to contact the Fifth Fleet at least two days before sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
