A oil tanker anchored in Dubai waters was struck by an Iranian drone, causing material damage to the ship, officials said. Photo by Ali Haider/EPA
Iran struck a Kuwaiti oil tanker anchored off Dubai, officials said early Tuesday, as Tehran maintains its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
The Al Salmi crude oil tanker, located about 31 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was struck on its starboard side by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire on the vessel, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which said in a statement it was notified of the strike at 12:20 a.m. local time Tuesday.
Dubai authorities responded to the strike in Anchorage E within Dubai port, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement, adding that the vessel was struck by a drone. Maritime firefighting teams were deployed to control the blaze.
Officials said hours later that the response teams “have successfully contained the incident.”
“No oil leakage and no injuries reported,” the Dubai Media Office said.
The state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation identified Al Salmi as a large tanker that was fully loaded when it was struck.
The attack caused “material damage to the ship’s hull” and that there was the potential for an oil spill, the corporation said in a statement.
The attack came as the Trump administration pursues negotiations with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, an important Tehran-controlled maritime chokepoint through which about 20% of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas flow through.
Iran closed the strait following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 that started the war. The UKMTO has reported 28 incidents in the region between the start of the war and Monday, 16 of which were classified as attacks and nine as suspicious activity.
The closure and the war have seen energy costs surge. Brent crude hit $116 a barrel on Monday, up from about $72 a day before the war began.
More than a week ago, Trump gave Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open Hormuz or the United States would conduct further attacks on its energy infrastructure. He has since extended the deadline until April 6, citing progress in negotiations with Iran.
Hours before Iran struck Al Salmi, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that if the Strait of Hormuz “is not immediately ‘Open for Business'” the United States will blow up and obliterate all of its electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island.
