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Saudi Arabia condemns Iranian attacks on UAE tankers in Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia condemned on Friday attacks on two tankers belonging to the state oil company of the United Arab Emirates, accusing Iran of being the perpetrator.
In a statement on X, the kingdom’s foreign affairs ministry stressed “Saudi Arabia’s strongest condemnation and denunciation of the targeting of two tankers belonging to the UAE’s ADNOC [Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] company while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, in a rejected repetition of Iranian attacks targeting commercial ships and tankers.”
Iran and its proxy, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, have repeatedly targeted commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea. The U.S. military has also struck commercial tankers in the region.
UAE says Iran attacked two vessels in Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on two vessels linked to its state-owned oil company as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.
Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait, frequently attacking commercial ships, and wants to charge users for passage, which the U.S. fiercely opposes.
The UAE foreign ministry denounced what it called “the hostile Iranian attack” targeting two vessels affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) “with no injuries reported.”
Atta KENARE /AFP via Getty Images
ADNOC confirmed “two of its vessels were attacked while transiting” the waterway on Thursday evening, adding the situation was “brought under control,” the official WAM news agency reported.
On Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two identical incidents of drone strikes on tankers in Hormuz a day earlier, causing minor damage but no casualties.
It was not clear whether they were referring to the ADNOC-affiliated ships.
“UKMTO has received reports from military authorities that a tanker was struck by a Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) whilst conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was subject to minor damage, crew are reported as safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported,” it said in both statements.
Last week, ADNOC had said three of its tankers had been attacked in the strait, with the UAE foreign ministry reporting an attack on an ADNOC tanker a day later.
U.S. threatens Iran with “economic isolation like the world has never seen”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is threatening to subject Iran to economic isolation “like the world has never seen before,” adding that new measures are expected next week.
“It will be a combination of economic isolation, like the world has never seen before,” Bessent told conservative television network Newsmax Thursday, adding that “the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz … will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports.”
“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week,” he said.
Bessent described a two-pronged approach featuring financial pressure and a physical blockade of Islamic republic’s ports.
Vice President JD Vance said earlier that the top U.S. priority in the Iran war was bringing oil and gasoline prices down for Americans, with preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon now ranking second.
The tougher stance contrasts with remarks by Bessent on August 4, when he told CNBC an agreement with Tehran to reopen the strait could be reached within days.
CENTCOM defends conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln amid monthslong deployment
The U.S. military’s Central Command called a spate of news reports about dire conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier “false.”
The ship has been deployed for almost nine months, and is currently in the Middle East region. Lawmakers and family members have raised concerns about supply shortages, inadequate food, broken plumbing and mental health issues — and earlier this month, a sailor went overboard and was recovered, the Navy told CBS News.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said service members “remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights, and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance expended.”
“No service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, and the one Sailor who fell overboard Aug. 3 was quickly and safely recovered,” CENTCOM added. “The rampant misreporting on Abraham Lincoln’s historic deployment is a disservice to our men and women in uniform and their loved ones.”
Kushner planning to travel to Jerusalem and Cairo next week amid Gaza peace push
President Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner is planning to travel to Jerusalem and Cairo next week, according to an official with the Board of Peace, the Trump-backed body that is pushing for a resolution to the Israel-Hamas conflict — as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes back on the board’s plan.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director-General Nickolay Mladenov will accompany Kushner, the official said.
The official says they will continue the “constructive” conversations they’ve been having on how to advance Mr. Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which calls for the militant group Hamas to disarm and give up any role in governing Gaza while Israeli forces withdraw from the enclave.
Late last month, Mr. Trump announced Hamas and the Board of Peace had agreed on the next steps in his peace plan, with Hamas giving up its arms in stages and Israeli forces withdrawing from parts of Gaza as “disarmament is completed.” The Board of Peace laid out a 15-point roadmap covering the withdrawal and disarmament.
But last weekend, Netanyahu said Israel “rejects the 15-point document,” saying the military “will not make any withdrawal until Hamas is truly disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and citizens.”
During their visit to the region, the three Board of Peace representatives plan to hear the concerns that have been raised, and talk about next steps, the Board of Peace official said.
In Cairo, there are meetings planned with Egyptian officials and other mediators.
Vance says Trump administration’s core Iran goals are “keeping oil and gas cheap,” blocking nuclear weapons
Asked about the Iran war, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News’ Will Cain that “goal number one” for the Trump administration is to “keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country,” followed by ensuring “Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
“I feel confident we’re accomplishing both of those goals, but it’s inherently an unpredictable thing because the Iranians themselves are unpredictable, and they sometimes don’t honor the commitments they’ve made to us,” Vance said.
As oil shipments remain largely blocked in the Strait of Hormuz, global oil prices are currently above pre-war levels but below their heights during the war’s early weeks. The Trump administration has pressed Iran to allow ships to pass through the strait, but Iran has said it plans to hold onto some control of the vital waterway.
The benchmark for U.S. crude oil, West Texas Intermediate, stood at around $81 per barrel for next month’s deliveries as of 5 p.m. Thursday, compared to less than $70 in February and over $110 in April.
The price of gasoline is also elevated, averaging $4.07 per gallon nationwide, compared to $3.16 a year ago, according to AAA. In May, the price surpassed $4.50 per gallon.
