Iranian Missiles Strike Two UAE Oil Tankers in the Strait of Hormuz: A Timeline of the 2026 Crisis

On Monday, July 13, 2026, Iranian cruise missiles struck two UAE national oil tankers — Mombasa and Al Bahiyah — while they were transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters. The attack killed one Indian crew member and injured eight others, including six Indians and two Ukrainians, four of whom were critically wounded . Fires broke out on both tankers but were brought under control .

The strike set off a new round of confrontation. The United States and Iran each subsequently asserted they controlled the Strait of Hormuz, further threatening any remaining diplomatic path to end the war .

Iran's Justification

Iran has not issued a detailed justification specifically for the July 13 attack, but it fits a broader pattern established earlier that same week. On July 7, Iran struck three other commercial vessels — the Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayat, the Saudi-flagged supertanker Wedyan, and another tanker — after which Iran's navy stated it fired warning shots that hit vessels because "several ships attempted" to transit the strait despite Iranian warnings . The overall Iranian position, reiterated throughout 2026, has been that it is asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. military operations and blockades in the region .

International Reactions

• UAE: The UAE Ministry of Defence condemned the attack as a "blatant attack" and stated it retains the full right to respond firmly to threats against its security and stability .
• India: One Indian crew member was killed and eight others injured. Earlier in June 2026, India had already summoned a senior U.S. diplomat and demanded an end to attacks on merchant vessels after three Indian seafarers were killed by U.S. strikes on tankers off Oman .
• U.S.: The U.S. military had launched retaliatory airstrikes against Iran on July 8, hours after the first wave of three ships was struck on July 7. CENTCOM described them as "significant" strikes . By July 14, both the U.S. and Iran claimed they controlled the strait .

Wider Context: The 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis

The July 13 attack is the latest escalation in what is known as the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, a conflict that began in earnest in early 2026.

• March 2026: The tanker Skylight was struck on March 1, killing two crew . Iran subsequently hit the UAE's Fujairah oil port and Dubai airport with drone strikes .
• April–May 2026: Iran announced renewed closures of the Strait of Hormuz . The U.S. military fought to reopen it, sinking Iranian vessels and engaging small boats . In May, Iran seized a ship off the UAE coast and another cargo vessel sank after an attack near Oman .
• June 2026: U.S. forces struck three Indian-operated tankers in three days, killing three Indian sailors on the MT Settebello and prompting New Delhi to demand an end to U.S. attacks on merchant vessels .
• July 2026: The crisis escalated sharply. On July 6–7, Iran struck three commercial ships (including Al Rekayat and Wedyan), prompting major U.S. retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian territory . Iran then struck U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait . The interim ceasefire deal collapsed on July 8 . The July 13 attack on the two UAE tankers is the latest episode.

Toll on Indian Seafarers

Indian seafarers have been heavily caught in the crossfire from both sides:

• March 2026: Indian crew on the dhow Haji Ali were rescued after their ship was struck by a drone/missile and sank near Oman .
• June 2026: Three Indian sailors were killed in U.S. strikes on tankers off Oman, identified as Patnala Suresh (44), Aditya Sharma (23), and Shivanand Chaurasia (38) .
• July 13, 2026: One Indian crew member killed and eight injured in the Iranian cruise missile attack on Mombasa and Al Bahiyah .

As of late June 2026, the International Maritime Organization recorded 46 confirmed attacks on civilian vessels, with at least 14 seafarers killed — most from Iranian fire, but some from U.S. strikes .

Broader Disruption to Hormuz Shipping

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since the conflict began.

• On July 8–9, maritime intelligence firm Kpler reported that only 23 tankers and cargo vessels transited the strait on Wednesday, a dramatic decline from 47 the previous week and a tiny fraction of normal traffic .
• Bloomberg reported on July 8 that only "a handful of vessels" attempted transit as shipowners struggled to assess risks .
• The Joint Maritime Information Center raised the threat level to "severe," warning that deliberate hostile action by Iran was "likely under current conditions" .
• The overall total of ship attacks since the conflict began reached at least 18 by mid-March 2026, and has risen further since .

In short, the Strait of Hormuz — through which about 20% of the world's oil passes — has been functionally disrupted for months, with only a trickle of vessels attempting passage under extreme risk.