Saudi Arabia says oil tankers hit off UAE coast, Iran calls for probe

The foreign ministry called the incidents "worrisome and dreadful" and asked for an investigation into the matter. A senior Iranian lawmaker said "saboteurs from a third country" could be behind it, after saying on Sunday that the incident showed that the security of Gulf states is fragile.

The United Arab Emirates said Sunday, May 12, 2019 that four commercial ships near Fujairah “were subjected to sabotage operations” after false reports circulated in Lebanese and Iranian media outlets saying there had been explosions at the Fujairah port. (AP/File)

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two Saudi oil tankers were attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, condemning it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid heightened US-Iranian tensions.
The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz, but did not say who was behind the attack or describe the nature of it.
Iran, embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the U.S. military’s presence in the region, moved on Monday to distance itself.
The foreign ministry called the incidents “worrisome and dreadful” and asked for an investigation into the matter. A senior Iranian lawmaker said “saboteurs from a third country” could be behind it, after saying on Sunday that the incident showed that the security of Gulf states is fragile.