Iran seized a commercial vessel anchored near the UAE coast and an Indian flagged cargo ship was sunk off the coast of Oman on May 13 and 14, 2026, in a dramatic escalation of the shadow war being fought across the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
The first incident involved a vessel anchored 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah, UAE, which was boarded by unauthorized personnel and directed toward Iranian territorial waters, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre. UKMTO advised all ships in the area to report suspicious activity and did not immediately identify the vessel or those responsible, though the incident follows a clear pattern of Iranian seizures in the region.
The second incident saw the MSV Haji Ali, an Indian flagged cargo ship, struck by a suspected drone attack and sunk in the Strait of Hormuz region while sailing from Somalia to Sharjah. The vessel had been running dark with its AIS tracking system disabled at the time of the attack. All crew members were successfully rescued with no fatalities reported. India’s foreign ministry condemned the attack as “unacceptable.”
The incidents come despite a ceasefire between the US and Iran that has been in place since April 7, under which no direct exchange of fire between American and Iranian forces has occurred. Iran, however, has continued targeting commercial shipping, using the Strait of Hormuz as its primary leverage in peace negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at a BRICS meeting in New Delhi, insisted the strait “is open for all commercial vessels that cooperate with its navy,” while Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir defended the seizures, saying they are “grounded in domestic and international law” and carried out under court orders.
The attacks come on the same week that 30 Chinese vessels were permitted to transit the strait “with the coordination of Iranian authorities and the IRGC navy,” underscoring Tehran’s selective approach to maritime access. South Korea also reported a cargo ship struck by unidentified aircraft in the strait, while Qatar confirmed a freighter arriving from Abu Dhabi was hit by a drone.
Since February 28, Iran has seized or attacked dozens of commercial vessels, fundamentally disrupting global shipping through a waterway that normally carries 20% of the world’s oil supply.