Iran threatens US-UAE oil shuttle operations in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has signalled that it intends to disrupt a shuttle system moving crude oil beyond the Strait of Hormuz, escalating pressure on a maritime route that remains central to global energy flows. Iranian authorities said the system, which they described as Arab-operated and assisted by the United States, is now an explicit target. The warning comes as the Strait has been largely closed to shipping after earlier attacks, with exports rerouted through a route reportedly opened by the US Navy.

Sponsored

Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Sunday night that the shuttle operation involved smaller vessels transferring oil to larger tankers. He claimed the US Central Command, with support from the United Arab Emirates military, was behind the arrangement. Rezaei also said Iran had been striking five or six participating vessels each night for weeks, although no independent confirmation of that claim was included in the supplied material.

The remarks add to a period of maritime disruption in one of the world's most sensitive waterways. Before the war, roughly a fifth of global oil and gas flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, making any threat to traffic there a matter of immediate concern for energy markets and regional security. The supplied material says the route has been largely closed to shipping since attacks began after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February.

The latest threats also widen the scope of potential targets beyond ships alone. Rezaei warned that digital infrastructure could be hit, including cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities in the UAE and around the Strait of Hormuz. He also accused Saudi Arabia of helping the United States move oil around Iran's restrictions, while stopping short of a direct threat against Riyadh.

Sponsored

The dispute sits within a broader confrontation over access to the Strait and the movement of Iranian and Gulf exports. The supplied material says Tehran has combined military and diplomatic pressure in an effort to force Washington to reopen the waterway on terms acceptable to Iran. It also says the US naval presence has helped create an alternative export route for Gulf states amid an energy crisis, underlining how closely the issue is tied to global supply security.

The comments follow earlier warnings from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which in early September threatened tankers at ports and anchorages in Kuwait and Bahrain. Those threats were linked in the supplied material to US attacks on Iranian tankers, showing a pattern of retaliation focused on maritime commerce and nearby Gulf infrastructure. The current statement appears to extend that approach by naming the shuttle system itself as a target.

The immediate significance is economic as well as military. Any sustained disruption in or around Hormuz can affect oil prices, shipping insurance and the reliability of supply routes for producers and consumers across Asia, Europe and beyond. The mention of UAE-linked infrastructure also raises the possibility of pressure spreading from sea lanes to the digital systems that support trade and logistics.

What remains unclear is whether Iran will act on the threat in the way described, and whether the reported nightly strikes can be independently verified. It is also not clear how the United States, the UAE or other regional actors will respond if the shuttle system is attacked more openly. The next developments to watch are any confirmation of damage at sea, any change in the export route, and whether the warnings broaden into direct action against civilian or digital infrastructure.

Sponsored

#Iran #StraitofHormuz #oilexports #maritimesecurity #UnitedArabEmirates