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Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) confirmed Friday that 15 of its vessels have been struck by missiles and drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Iran war, including three attacks in a single week. One seafarer has been killed and 20 others injured in the most recent wave of strikes, the company said in an official statement.
ADNOC Logistics and Services identified two of the struck tankers as the Al Bahyah and the Mombasa B, both crude oil carriers. The UAE Ministry of Defence said the vessels were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait within Omani territorial waters, per Foreign Policy Journal. The attacks have had a measurable and severe effect: vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to roughly 10 percent of pre-war levels. Between Monday and Thursday of this week, only 33 vessels transited the strait, down sharply from 50 for the same days the prior week, according to Reuters ship-tracking data.
The numbers are not abstract. Under normal conditions, the Strait of Hormuz carries approximately 20 percent of global petroleum supplies — roughly 21 million barrels of oil per day — and is the primary transit point for liquefied natural gas from Qatar and the UAE to buyers in Asia and Europe. A 90 percent collapse in vessel traffic represents a severe disruption to one of the world's most critical energy arteries.
ADNOC said it is "taking all necessary measures in coordination with relevant authorities to protect its people, assets and operations while continuing to meet customer requirements as much as possible." The company has now lost 15 vessels to attack over the course of a conflict that began in February 2026 — a pace that has sent energy market analysts into alarm-mode over the medium-term outlook for global oil supply chains.
Diplomatic activity to resolve the Strait crisis is intensifying. President Trump said this week that a deal to reopen Hormuz "could be soon," and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has publicly forecast a framework agreement as imminent. Iran's state news agency reported Friday that Tehran and Oman have finalized the framework of a Hormuz accord and are awaiting approval from Iran's top security council before it can be publicly announced. A senior US official told reporters: "We expect a deal soon." Both sides are signaling that a negotiated resolution is within reach.
The bipartisan Senate vote Friday to impose further sanctions on Iran — passed 86-11 the same day ADNOC released its 15-vessel tally — adds additional economic pressure on Tehran as the diplomatic process reaches its final stages. The combination of military pressure and active negotiation reflects the administration's stated strategy of maximum pressure paired with an open door to a deal.
How quickly the strait reopens and shipping confidence returns will determine the near-term trajectory of global energy prices and the economic outlook for Gulf states, Asian buyers, and European LNG importers who depend on unimpeded transit through Hormuz.
Secretary Bessent Outlines Reality of Capital Markets Making the Strait of Hormuz Irrelevanthttps://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/08/secretary-bessent-outlines-reality-of-capital-markets-making-the-strait-of-hormuz-irrelevant/
As further explained by James Thorne on X: By repeatedly signaling its willingness to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran hasn’t strengthened its hand, it has accelerated the market’s exit. Capital does not tolerate chokepoints; it routes around them.