The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the condemnation in an official statement, expressing full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates and calling on the international community to take firm steps to prevent recurrence of such acts. The ministry characterized the attack as a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the Gulf region. It stressed that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be preserved as a cornerstone of international trade.
Regional media outlets including the Emirates News Agency reported that the attack involved Iranian forces striking the tankers as they passed through the narrow chokepoint. The statement from Manama aligned with similar expressions of outrage from other Gulf Cooperation Council members facing comparable threats. No specific details on damage or casualties from the UAE tanker incident were immediately available in the Bahraini announcement.
Data from the US Energy Information Administration places the volume of oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz at more than 20 million barrels per day, equivalent to roughly 20 percent of global consumption. Any sustained interruption to traffic in the waterway would likely trigger significant volatility in world energy markets, the agency has previously warned in its analyses. The strategic importance of the passage has made it a focal point in past geopolitical tensions as well.
An Associated Press report published on June 27 detailed how Iranian retaliation had included strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz as well as drone attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait following US airstrikes on Iranian targets. Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry had separately denounced the drone assault on its territory as a flagrant threat to citizen and resident safety. These events form part of a rapidly widening conflict that has drawn in multiple regional actors.
The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a strong rebuke of the tanker attack, labeling it a grave threat to international navigation according to a Gulf News dispatch. The coordinated diplomatic push by Bahrain and the UAE underscores shared concerns over the security of vital sea lanes. Industry observers have tracked elevated risks to shipping in the area throughout the current period of instability.
