Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Aug 8: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday condemned an Iranian attack on an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) tanker while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, said the attack amounted to a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which emphasises freedom of navigation and rejects attacks on commercial vessels or disruption of international maritime routes.

ADNOC is Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil company and one of the world’s largest oil producers.

“The Ministry stressed that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool for economic pressure or blackmail constitutes an ‘act of piracy’ by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and poses a direct threat to the stability of the region and its people, as well as to global energy security,” the statement said.

The UAE also called on Iran to immediately cease what it described as “aggressive attacks” and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to dialogue to safeguard Iran’s rights, while stressing that the country would not be forced to surrender.

Pezeshkian made the remarks in an interview published on his office’s website on Friday local time. He defended the Iranian government’s decision to enter negotiations with the United States and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war.

Pezeshkian said Iran would remain committed to its obligations as long as the United States fulfilled its commitments under the MoU.

“Wherever they fail to fulfil their commitment, we have no obligation to continue,” he said.

Iran and the United States signed the MoU in June, under which the two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement.

However, renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington have cast uncertainty over the future of the talks.