The seizure of an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and the sinking of the Indian-flagged cargo ship Haji Ali after an attack jolted the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the latest in a series of disruptions that have rattled global energy markets and complicated U.S.-led efforts to end the war with Iran.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports that the seized ship was taken by unauthorized personnel while it was anchored 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah, a key UAE oil export terminal repeatedly targeted during the conflict. The British military said the vessel was heading toward Iranian waters, but it was not immediately clear who was behind the seizure.
Separately, Indian authorities reported that the Haji Ali, en route from Somalia to the UAE port of Sharjah, came under attack on Wednesday, sparking a fire that caused the vessel to sink. Mukesh Mangal, a senior official in India’s shipping ministry, said all 14 Indian crew members were rescued by Oman’s coast guard and were safe. India’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on commercial shipping and civilian mariners as “unacceptable” without identifying the responsible party.
The incidents unfolded as senior Iranian officials hardened their public stance on the strategic waterway. Iran’s senior vice president, Mohammadreza Aref, said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and that Tehran would not give it up “at any price.” “It has always been our property,” Aref told state TV.
Iran’s judiciary spokesperson, Asghar Jahangir, told the state-owned Iran Daily newspaper that Iran has the legal and judicial right to seize oil tankers in the strait that are connected to the United States, arguing that Washington had violated international maritime law and engaged in piracy. He did not explicitly refer to the vessel seized Thursday.
The White House said President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, meeting in Beijing, agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open. Their discussion occurred as Iranian semiofficial news agencies reported that Chinese ships began transiting the strait Wednesday night under new Iranian protocols, following requests from China’s foreign minister and its ambassador to Tehran.
The week’s tensions also included the disclosure by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had made a previously unannounced visit to the UAE, a claim the Emirati government swiftly denied. Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at the Institute of National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said Netanyahu’s decision to publicize the meeting was likely aimed at shoring up his party ahead of Israeli elections.
“It’s amazing, it’s the deepest cooperation we’ve ever had … that during a war, Israel is defending an Arab state against Iran. It shows how complicated the Middle East is,” Guzansky said. He added that the UAE was trying to highlight its security cooperation with Israel while distancing itself from Netanyahu’s government because of widespread Emirati opposition to Israeli policies in Gaza.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, told lawmakers that Iran’s military capabilities had been “dramatically degraded” but that its leadership was still affecting shipping through threats alone. “Their voice is very loud, and the threats are clearly heard by the merchant industry and the insurance industry,” Cooper said. He said the U.S. military could permanently reopen the strait and escort vessels but deferred to policymakers amid “a time of sensitive negotiations.”
The dual maritime incidents followed U.S. actions just last week, when American forces fired on and disabled Iranian oil tankers that officials said were attempting to breach the blockade of Iran’s ports. Iran separately said it would not enter further talks with the United States unless Washington pays war reparations and formally recognizes Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, demands the White House is almost certain to reject.