Four ships were targeted near the strategic Emirati port of Fujairah, in what the UAE described as a "sabotage attack." One was flying a UAE flag, and another the Norwegian flag. The other two were tankers owned by Saudi Arabia, which described the incident as a threat to the security of global oil supplies. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.<doc-sep>Iran has called attacks on ships in the Gulf "alarming", after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia said several vessels including oil tankers were damaged in acts of sabotage off the Emirati coast. "The incidents in the Sea of Oman are alarming and regrettable," an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said. An English-language statement on the ministry's website called for a probe into the attacks and warning of "adventurism" by foreign players to disrupt maritime security. On Sunday, the UAE said that four commercial vessels of various nationalities had been targeted by acts of sabotage off the UAE port of Fujairah. Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were damaged. Fujairah port is the only terminal in the UAE located on the Arabian Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, a global shipping route through which most Gulf oil exports pass, and which Iran has repeatedly threatened to close in case of a military confrontation with the United States. The incident comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the US which has strengthened its military presence in the region, including deploying a number of strategic B-52 bombers in response to alleged threats from Tehran. It also comes as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a stop today in Moscow to visit Brussels instead for talks with European officials on Iran. The foreign ministry's statement "called for clarifications" concerning the "exact dimensions" of the attacks on ships. He spokesman said such incidents would have a "negative impact... on shipping safety and maritime security" in the Gulf. He also "warned against plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security" and "called for the vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements."<doc-sep>Share this Story: Four ships off U.A.E coast targeted by 'sabotage' after false reports of explosions at Emirati port Four ships off U.A.E coast targeted by 'sabotage' after false reports of explosions at Emirati port The reported incident comes as the U.S. has warned ships that 'Iran or its proxies' could be targeting maritime traffic in the region Photo by Kamran Jebreili / AP Article content DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates said Sunday that four commercial ships off its eastern coast “were subjected to sabotage operations,” just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at a nearby Emirati port. Emirati officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or say who might have been responsible. However, the reported incident comes as the U.S. has warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting maritime traffic in the region, and as America is deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Four ships off U.A.E coast targeted by 'sabotage' after false reports of explosions at Emirati port Back to video Tensions have risen in the year since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, restoring American sanctions that have pushed Iran’s economy into crisis. Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The statement from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry put the ships near the country’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the port of Fujairah. It said it was investigating the incident “in co-operation with local and international bodies.” It said there were “no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels” and “no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.” The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which oversees the region, did not immediately offer comment on the incident. Emirati officials declined to elaborate while their investigation is ongoing. Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s pro-Iran satellite channel Al-Mayadeen, quoting “Gulf sources,” falsely reported that a series of explosions had struck Fujairah’s port. State and semi-official media in Iran picked up the report from Al-Mayadeen, which later published the names of vessels it claimed were involved in the incident. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The Associated Press, after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses, found the report about explosions at the port to be unsubstantiated. Fujairah’s port is located about 140 kilometres (85 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of all oil at sea is traded. The facility handles oil for bunkering and shipping, as well as general and bulk cargo. It is seen as strategically located, serving shipping routes in the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and Africa. The reported sabotage incident comes after the U.S. Maritime Administration warned Thursday that Iran could target commercial sea traffic. “Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against U.S. and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz,” the warning read. “Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, or the Persian Gulf.” It’s unclear if that is the same perceived threat that prompted the White House to order the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region on May 4. Share this article in your social network Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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Please try again Trending<doc-sep>By Rania El Gamal and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran. The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it. The UAE on Monday identified the vessels as two crude oil tankers owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri, a UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge and a Norwegian-registered oil products tanker. The owner of the Norwegian vessel, Thome Ship Management, said the vessel was "struck by an unknown object". Footage seen by Reuters showed a hole in the hull at the waterline with the metal torn open inwards. A Reuters witness said divers were inspecting the ships. The UAE's state news agency said Fujairah port was operating normally. Iran, embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, moved to distance itself on Monday. Iran's Foreign Ministry called the incidents "worrisome and dreadful" and called for an investigation. A senior Iranian lawmaker said "saboteurs from a third country" could be behind it, after saying on Sunday the incident showed the security of Gulf states was fragile. A U.S. official familiar with American intelligence said Iran was a leading candidate for having carried out the attacks but the United States does not have conclusive proof. "It fits their M.O. (modus operandi)," said the official on condition of anonymity, suggesting Iran's statements distancing itself from the incident were an attempt "to muddy the waters." POMPEO WARNS OF ESCALATING THREATS Story continues U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on "escalating" threats from Iran during meetings with EU counterparts and the head of NATO in Brussels, the U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters. Hook declined to say whether he believed Iran played a role or if Pompeo blamed Iran. He said the UAE had sought U.S. help in the investigation and Washington was glad to provide this. The U.S. Maritime Administration said in an advisory on Sunday that incidents off Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, had not been confirmed and urged caution. Last week the Maritime Administration said Iran could target U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through Middle East waterways. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the UAE incident "has a negative impact on maritime transportation security" and asked regional countries to be "vigilant against destabilising plots of foreign agents", the semi-official ISNA news agency reported. Before talks with Pompeo in Brussels, Britain's Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt warned of the risks of "a conflict happening by accident" with an unintended escalation between Washington and Tehran over an unravelling nuclear deal. CHOKEPOINT Washington withdrew last year from a 2015 pact between Iran and global powers aimed at reining in Tehran's nuclear plans. Since then, Washington has ratcheted up sanctions on Tehran, saying it wanted to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero. U.S. President Donald Trump wants to force Tehran to agree a broader arms control accord and has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf in a show of force against what U.S. officials have said are threats to U.S. troops in the region. Trump on Monday said Iran would "suffer greatly" if it targeted U.S. interests. Tehran has called the U.S. military presence "a target" rather than a threat and has said it will not allow its oil exports to be halted. A fifth of global oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz from Middle East crude producers to major markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond. The narrow waterway separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula. Iran's Revolutionary Guards, designated a terrorist organisation by Washington, threatened last month to close the chokepoint if Tehran was barred from using it. Oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel on Monday but then fell with Wall Street as the negative turn in U.S.-Chinese trade talks spooked investors. Brent futures closed down 39 cents at $70.23 a barrel. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said one of the two Saudi vessels was attacked in the UAE economic zone on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to state-owned Aramco's customers in the United States. No oil was spilled but the attack did significant damage to the vessels' structures, he said. Dubai and Abu Dhabi stock markets suffered their biggest single-day declines in years on Monday, with Dubai falling 4%. Saudi shares lost 3.6%. Sunni Muslim allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE have backed U.S. sanctions against Shi'ite Iran, a fellow OPEC producer but regional foe. After the United States ended sanctions waivers that had allowed some nations to continue importing Iranian crude, Washington said Riyadh and Abu Dhabi would help compensate for any oil shortage. Falih said the attack aimed to undermine maritime freedom and the security of oil supplies. "The international community has a joint responsibility to protect the safety of maritime navigation and the security of oil tankers, to mitigate against the adverse consequences of such incidents on energy markets and the danger they pose to the global economy," he said. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul and Robin Emmott in London; David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Saeed Azhar in Dubai and Oslo newsroom; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Edmund Blair, Mark Potter and Lisa Shumaker)<doc-sep>
(CNN) — Four ships were targeted on Sunday near the strategic Emirati port of Fujairah, in what the UAE described as a “sabotage attack.” One was flying a UAE flag, and another the Norwegian flag. The other two were tankers owned by Saudi Arabia, which described the incident as a threat to the security of global oil supplies. There were no injuries or deaths, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged sabotage, or offer any indication as to who might be responsible. Tensions have risen in the oil-rich region in recent weeks amid the deployment of a growing number of United States military assets to the Middle East, due to deteriorating relations with Iran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said Monday that the incidents were “alarming and regrettable,” and requested further information on the alleged sabotage. He also warned against “plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security” and called for “vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements.” CNN Images show damage sustained to the hull of Norwegian tanker Andrea Victory. Several US officials are cautioning there is no final conclusion on how the ships were damaged. One US official pointed out the lack of detail from the UAE and Saudi Arabia about how the ships were damaged. In a tweet, Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said investigations in the incident were ongoing but that the government had its “own readings and conclusions.” “The international community (needs to) assume its responsibilities to prevent any parties trying to undermine the security and safety of maritime traffic,” the ministry said. What we know The incident took place near UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the emirate of Fujairah, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said. The ministry added that authorities were working with local and international bodies to investigate the incident, which it described as a “dangerous development.” Images that CNN captured of the Norwegian tanker, Andrea Victory, show damage sustained to the hull of the vessel. In a statement Monday, Thome Ship Management, which manages the ship, confirmed it suffered hull damage after being struck by an unknown object at the waterline and said that it was not in any danger of sinking. One of the Saudi vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to customers in the US, Saudi Arabia’s state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Monday. While the agency didn’t mention casualties or oil spills, it did say there had been “significant damage to the structures of the two vessels.” On Monday, the UAE formally asked the US for technical assistance in assessing the vessels’ damage, according to a US official. The US experts will look at the damage patterns, try to recover any material from the site, and determine if some kind of missile or weapon hit the ships. KARIM SAHIB/AFP//Getty Images A Monday photo shows the oil tanker "Amjad," one of two Saudi-owned vessels Riyadh says were sabotaged. Rumblings about Iran Last week, the US Maritime Administration issued an advisory that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting commercial vessels and oil production infrastructure in the region. The warning followed Iran’s announcement that it was partially withdrawing from a landmark nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the US itself unilaterally exited one year ago. US Air Force F-15s and F-35s, along with B-52 bombers, are now flying visible air patrols over the Persian Gulf, according to a US official, who said that the flights were designed to demonstrate to both Iran and US allies that US forces are in a deterrence mode. Several officials say that the US is continuing to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights in the Middle East. Also on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled a planned visit to Moscow on Monday and flew to Brussels for talks on Iran with his counterparts from the UK, Germany, France. Asked later that day if the US was going to war with Iran and if the US was seeking regime change there, Trump said, “We’ll see what happens with Iran.” The Strait of Hormuz: A strategic passage Iran borders the Persian Gulf (also known as the Arabian Gulf) and the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway.