UAE Demands Hormuz Reopening After 15 ADNOC Vessels Attacked Since War Began

The human and commercial toll of the conflict choking the Strait of Hormuz came into sharp focus this month as the UAE’s state oil company confirmed a mounting tally of attacks on its shipping fleet — and Emirati officials took their case for reopening the waterway to the international stage in Jaipur.

Fifteen Vessels, One Fatality, Twenty Injuries

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said it “continues to be significantly impacted by unprovoked attacks on its assets and employees,” disclosing that 15 of its vessels have been attacked by missiles and drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, including three vessels in a single week. The company said the attacks have resulted in one fatality and 20 injuries among crew members.

The pattern has escalated sharply in recent days. On the evening of August 13, two ADNOC vessels were attacked while transiting the strait, with no injuries reported, according to the UAE’s state news agency WAM. That followed an incident days earlier in which the UAE accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps of striking an ADNOC tanker with a missile, an act Abu Dhabi’s foreign ministry labelled “piracy” and a “direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and the global energy supply”.

Diplomatic adviser to the UAE president Anwar Gargash said Abu Dhabi would defend its sovereignty and interests while continuing to prioritise diplomatic options, a balancing act between deterrence and de-escalation that has defined the UAE’s posture throughout the conflict.

Taking the Case to BRICS

The UAE elevated its concerns onto a multilateral stage at the 2026 BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting in Jaipur, India. Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi underscored the UAE’s grave concerns over Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping and reiterated the call for the strait’s immediate and unconditional reopening, invoking the protection of freedom of navigation under international law. Notably, trade ministers at the summit were unable to reach consensus on a joint declaration — a sign of how divisive the Iran conflict has become even within a bloc that includes Russia and China, both of which maintain complex relationships with Tehran.

Regional solidarity has been swift and vocal. The Gulf Cooperation Council’s Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed al-Budaiwi condemned one of the recent strikes as a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation”, while Qatar separately rejected the use of the strait as a “bargaining chip.”

Why the Strait Still Matters

About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict began, a chokepoint for a large share of the world’s seaborne oil. Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, shipping through the corridor has been repeatedly disrupted, and freight and insurance costs for tankers transiting the route have climbed accordingly.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has also logged separate incidents, including a bulk carrier struck by an unknown projectile in the strait — a reminder that ADNOC’s fleet, while the most visible target given the UAE’s high public profile in the dispute, is not the only shipping affected.

The Economic Stakes for Abu Dhabi and Dubai

The disruption arrives at an inconvenient moment for the UAE, whose non-oil economy has otherwise been a standout performer this year. Dubai’s preliminary Economic Survey 2026 showed GDP rising to roughly $264.7 billion in 2025, with employment reaching 4.69 million, while forecasters including Emirates NBD have projected Dubai’s economy will expand 4.5% in 2026, powered by tourism, population growth, and private-sector investment.

But the oil side of the ledger tells a more troubled story. Economists at FocusEconomics have noted that UAE crude output fell by about a third annually during the worst months of the Hormuz disruption, before partially rebounding on a temporary US-Iran truce. Continued attacks on the strait threaten to reopen that wound just as the non-oil economy has been carrying growth largely on its own.

What Comes Next

With a seventh round of separate US-mediated diplomacy already underway on the Israel-Hezbollah front and no resolution yet in sight on Hormuz specifically, the UAE finds itself managing a war economy on two fronts: absorbing direct attacks on its national oil champion while its diplomats work multilateral channels — from BRICS to the GCC — to build pressure for a reopening that has so far proven elusive.

Key Takeaways

• ADNOC reports 15 vessels attacked since the conflict began, with one crew fatality and 20 injuries.
• The UAE raised the issue at the 2026 BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting in Jaipur, calling for the strait’s immediate, unconditional reopening.
• Trade ministers failed to reach consensus on a joint BRICS declaration, reflecting divisions over the Iran conflict.
• About a fifth of global seaborne oil and LNG normally transits the strait, and continued attacks threaten to reverse UAE oil-output gains made during a temporary truce.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many ADNOC vessels have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz? ADNOC has reported 15 vessels attacked by missiles and drones since the start of the conflict, resulting in one fatality and 20 injuries among crew members.

What did the UAE ask for at the BRICS summit? UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and reaffirmed the need to protect freedom of navigation under international law.

How important is the Strait of Hormuz to global oil supply? Before the conflict, roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait, making it one of the most critical chokepoints in global energy trade.