Iran targeted tanker, says UAE, as Tehran says Hormuz deal with Oman close

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday said Iran had targeted a tanker belonging to the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge users for passage, which the US fiercely opposes, and is in talks with nearby Oman over arrangements for the strait’s future management.The UAE foreign ministry in a statement condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to ADNOC with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties”.On Friday, ADNOC put out a statement saying that since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz, “including three vessels this week alone”.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, centre, surrounded by security personnel on Monday in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf ahead of Arbaeen, one of the largest annual Shi’ite religious gatherings. Photo: APBefore US-Israeli strikes in February kicked off what quickly became a regional war, Hormuz carried around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said that talks with Oman were “approaching the final stages” but cautioned that “this is not a sign of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”.