Saudi Arabia Condemns Deadly Iranian Tanker Strike in Strait of Hormuz

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz are seen from Musandam, Oman [File: Stringer/Reuters]

Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned an Iranian attack on an oil tanker belonging to its national shipping company, an incident that tragically resulted in the deaths of two citizens of the Philippines. According to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Iran deliberately targeted the Sidr tanker, which is owned by the national carrier Bahri, while the vessel was transiting the critical Strait of Hormuz two days earlier.

“The kingdom stressed the necessity of halting escalations, and respecting international maritime safety and the security of global energy supplies,” the Saudi foreign ministry declared in an official statement.

In the wake of the incident, regional neighbours also voiced their condemnation of the attack, marking it as one of several recent escalations in the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran that was launched on February 28. The foreign ministries of Kuwait and Qatar stated that the assault directly violated international law and the freedom of maritime navigation.

Furthermore, Qatar denounced the attack as a “flagrant violation of the rules of international law and freedom of maritime navigation,” adding that Doha strictly rejects the exploitation of the Strait of Hormuz as a “bargaining chip.”

Meanwhile, Bahri confirmed the fatalities via social media. “Bahri confirms that its vessel SIDR was involved in a security incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz” late on Monday, the company stated. “Bahri remains in continuous contact with the vessel and is coordinating closely with the relevant authorities and maritime industry stakeholders, while continuing to closely monitor developments.”

Iran has repeatedly targeted and threatened commercial tankers attempting to navigate the strategic waterway without authorization, actively obstructing energy exports from neighboring oil-rich Gulf nations.

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The US has maintained that vessels can safely traverse the waterway, even as traffic through the corridor has slowed down considerably. Washington has reiterated its commitment to maintaining its counter-blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely.

Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, unidentified projectiles struck two separate oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports from Greek maritime risk management firm Marisks. Kpler data indicates that both vessels had loaded two million barrels of crude oil at Juaymah on Saudi Arabia’s east coast the previous week.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed that two oil tankers caught fire after striking mines while making their way through the strait. Prior to the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran, approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident follows earlier maritime security events, including an attack in July on another Bahri vessel, the Wedyan supertanker, as it traveled near the coast of Oman. Additionally, two other Bahri ships, the Masa and the Amzan, were targeted in the Red Sea in July and August following a naval blockade declaration against Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis.