The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated today after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accused Iran of a direct missile attack on an oil tanker, and government forces in Yemen launched a large-scale offensive against the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels.
The events reflect a dangerous spiral of tension in the region, threatening global energy supplies.
Iranian strike on ADNOC tanker in the Strait of Hormuz
In the early hours of Saturday, a vessel belonging to the UAE's state oil company – The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) was targeted by a missile attack by Iran while it was passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the incident, describing it as an “act of piracy“ by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to official data from Abu Dhabi, the attack constitutes a “flagrant violation“ of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which guarantees freedom of navigation.
ADNOC confirmed the attack, but specified that the situation is now under control and there are no reported casualties or serious injuries among the crew of the attacked vessel. The attack comes at a critical moment, when Tehran and Oman are negotiating a new agreement on traffic in the strait, through which nearly a fifth of the world's oil passes. Regional powers Saudi Arabia and Qatar expressed full solidarity with the UAE and called for the immediate and unconditional opening of the waterway to commercial ships.
Yemeni government responds to Houthis with large-scale operation
In parallel with the escalation at sea, the internal conflict in Yemen has erupted with new force. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili announced the launch of a large-scale military operation against Houthi positions and military equipment along multiple front lines.
The operation by government troops comes in direct response to deadly ballistic missile and drone attacks carried out by the Houthis on Thursday and Friday. At least 45 Yemeni soldiers were killed in these strikes on military camps in the provinces of Marib and Hadramaut, and subsequent shelling of residential areas claimed the lives of civilians.
The Yemeni Ministry of Defense accused the Shiite rebels of dragging the country into a wider regional conflict in the service of foreign state interests. They stressed that the army would respond “without hesitation” to any further provocation. At the same time, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called for maximum restraint, warning that the resumption of full-scale war risks erasing all the achievements of the fragile ceasefire.