‘Dangerous escalation’: Why UAE is terming strike on Indian ship off Oman a ‘terrorist attack’

“The UAE strongly condemns the terrorist attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman. This attack constitutes a grave threat to the security of international navigation and represents a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining the stability of critical waterways,” it said.

The ministry further stated that the attack violated UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which affirms the principle of freedom of navigation and explicitly rejects the targeting of commercial vessels or the obstruction of international maritime routes.

The UAE underlined the broader implications of such strikes, saying, “Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security.”

Strait of Hormuz: A waterway under pressure

The attack occurred in the shadow of an already fragile situation in the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow but strategically vital waterway off the Omani coast through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies pass.

The Strait has faced severe disruption since conflict broke out in West Asia on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, triggering a series of retaliatory attacks that have kept the region on edge.

India had called the attack ‘unacceptable’

India had earlier described the strike on the vessel as “unacceptable”. The latest incident is not an isolated one – at least two other Indian-flagged ships have been attacked since the conflict in the region first broke out.

The UAE, in its statement, expressed solidarity with India and its full support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the security and safety of Indian vessels and maritime interests.

(inputs from PTI)