DOHA, July 7. /TASS/. The Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia said the kingdom’s Wadiyan tanker was attacked by Iran while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its most resolute condemnation <...> in connection with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attack on Saudi tanker Wadiyan as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and also on Qatar’s Al Rekayyat tanker," the document says.
The ministry said that such attacks constitute a serious violation of the international law and pose a threat to global energy supply chains.
Riyadh demanded that Iran "immediately stop actions that undermine safety of navigation," adding that Tehran will be held fully responsible for the consequences of such attacks.
Earlier in the day, the Reuters news agency reported, citing a source, that the tanker, carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), is at risk of exploding due to a fire in its engine room that broke out following an attack on the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel sustained significant damage, and the crew was evacuated, according to the agency.
A Saudi tanker with crude oil was also damaged in a missile attack on the night of July 7, Reuters said. Earlier, the Iranian broadcaster IRIB reported that a Qatari vessel had attempted to pass through the strait with US Navy support. According to the report, the tanker became the target of an attack after ignoring repeated warnings.
The official spokesman for the emirate's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari emphasized that Doha holds Tehran "fully legally responsible for this attack, as well as for any damage and consequences." In this regard, the ministry summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador and handed a note of protest to him.