Two Saudi oil tankers were the targets of a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister says.
The incident near Fujairah port, in the Gulf just outside the Strait of Hormuz, caused “significant damage” to the ships, according to Khalid al-Falih.
The UAE said four ships were targeted, but that there were no casualties.
Iran, which borders the strait, called the incident “worrisome and dreadful” and called for a full investigation.
Tensions are high in the region, through which about a fifth of oil that is consumed globally passes.
The US has deployed warships there in recent days to counter what it called “clear indications” of threats from Iran to its forces and maritime traffic in the region. Iran dismissed that allegation as nonsense.
Last month, Iran threatened to “close” the Strait of Hormuz if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
No specific details have been released about the alleged incident, which is said to have taken place at about 06:00 (02:00 GMT) on Sunday within the UAE’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the emirate of Fujairah.
The UAE foreign ministry said on Sunday evening that four unidentified commercial vessels were “subjected to sabotage operations”, but that no casualties or spillages of chemicals were reported.
