Saudi Arabia said Monday two of its oil tankers weresabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in attacks that caused”significant damage” to the vessels, one of them as it was en routeto pick up Saudi oil to take to the US.
Khalid al-Falih’s comments came as the US issued a newwarning to sailors and the UAE’s regional allies condemned the reportedsabotage Sunday of four ships off the coast of the port city of Fujairah. Theannouncement came just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets airedfalse reports of explosions at the city’s port.
Emirati officials have declined to elaborate on the natureof the sabotage or say who might have been responsible. However, the reportscome as the US has warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could betargeting maritime traffic in the region, and as America is deploying anaircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter allegedthreats from Tehran.
Tensions have risen in the year since President Donald Trumpwithdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and worldpowers, restoring American sanctions that have pushed Iran’s economy intocrisis. Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higherlevels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal.
In his statement, al-Falih said the attacks on the twotankers happened at 6 a.M. Sunday.
“One of the two vessels was on its way to be loaded withSaudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco’scustomers in the United States,” al-Falih said.
“Fortunately, the attack didn’t lead to any casualtiesor oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures of thetwo vessels.” Saudi Arabia did not identify the vessels involved, nor didit say whom it suspected of carrying out the alleged sabotage.
Underling the regional risk, the general-secretary of thesix-nation Gulf Cooperation Council described the alleged sabotage as a”serious escalation” in an overnight statement.
“Such irresponsible acts will increase tension andconflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger,”Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani said. Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen’s internationallyrecognized government similarly condemned the alleged sabotage.
A statement Sunday from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry put theships near the country’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of theport of Fujairah. It said it was investigating “in cooperation with localand international bodies.” It said there were “no injuries orfatalities on board the vessels” and “no spillage of harmfulchemicals or fuel.”
The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which oversees the region, did notimmediately offer comment. Emirati officials declined to answer questions fromThe Associated Press, saying their investigation is ongoing.
Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s pro-Iran satellite channelAl-Mayadeen, quoting “Gulf sources,” falsely reported that a seriesof explosions had struck Fujairah’s port. State and semi-official media in Iranpicked up the report from Al-Mayadeen, which later published the names ofvessels it claimed were involved.
The AP, after speaking to Emirati officials and localwitnesses, found the report about explosions at the port to be unsubstantiated.
Fujairah’s port is about 140 kilometers (85 miles) south ofthe Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which athird of all oil at sea is traded. Thefacility handles oil for bunkering and shipping, as well as general and bulkcargo. It is seen as strategically located, serving shipping routes in thePersian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and Africa.
Sunday’s incident comes after the US MaritimeAdministration, a division of the US Transportation Department, warned Thursdaythat Iran could target commercial sea traffic.
“Since early May, there is an increased possibilitythat Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against US and partnerinterests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threateningto close the Strait of Hormuz,” the warning read.
“Iran or its proxies could respond by targetingcommercial vessels, including oil tankers, or US military vessels in the RedSea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait or the Persian Gulf.” Early Sunday, the agencyissued a new warning to sailors about the alleged sabotage, while stressing”the incident has not been confirmed.” It urged shippers to exercisecaution in the area for the next week.
Publicly available satellite images of the area taken Sundayshowed no smoke or fire.
It remains unclear if the previous warning from the USMaritime Administration is the same perceived threat that prompted the WhiteHouse to order the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and B-52bombers to the region on May 4.