Gulf States Invoke UN Resolution After Missile Strikes Oil Tanker in Hormuz Strait

ADNOC VESSEL STRUCK IN HORMUZ AS GULF STATES AND REGIONAL BLOC ISSUE UNIFIED CONDEMNATION

The UAE Foreign Ministry invoked UN Security Council Resolution 2817 within hours of a missile striking an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, framing the Saturday morning attack as a flagrant breach of international maritime law and demanding an immediate, unconditional reopening of the waterway.

The attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday as an ADNOC ship transited the strategic passage. The company reported no injuries from this incident and said the situation was brought under control. ADNOC subsequently directed the public to rely on official sources and avoid circulating unverified reports.

The diplomatic response was swift and coordinated. UAE officials, posting through the Foreign Ministry’s account on the X platform, identified Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as responsible, describing the targeting of commercial shipping and the use of the strait as a pressure tool as acts of piracy. Abu Dhabi’s position was unambiguous: such actions constitute a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security, and must stop immediately.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry reinforced that position, issuing a categorical rejection of using the Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining instrument. Qatari officials stated that freedom of navigation through the passage is an established principle that cannot become subject to negotiation, and warned that continued disruptions threaten the vital interests of regional states and the broader global economy. Doha expressed full solidarity with the UAE and support for protective measures taken by the country.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strike as an attack on maritime navigation safety and global energy supplies, calling for an immediate halt to such violations. Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a parallel condemnation, characterizing the incident as a violation of international law and reaffirming solidarity with Abu Dhabi.

At the institutional level, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the targeting of maritime navigation, vessels, facilities and civilian property as an unacceptable escalation and a serious violation of international law. He called on the international community to assume responsibility and take firm positions to halt such attacks and prevent their recurrence. The GCC’s involvement signals that member states regard this not as a bilateral dispute but as a collective security matter requiring a coordinated institutional response.

The scale of the problem is larger than any single incident suggests. ADNOC disclosed on Friday that 15 of its vessels have been targeted by missiles and drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict, including three vessels struck in the same week as this latest attack. The company reported one death and 20 injuries among crew members across those incidents.

The convergence of five governments and the GCC around a shared legal framework, specifically the invocation of a named UN Security Council resolution, points to a deliberate effort to build a multilateral accountability record. Whether that record translates into binding international action, or remains a coordinated statement of principle, is the question now facing the bodies those governments have called upon to respond.