Abu Dhabi National Oil Company reports 15 missile and drone attacks on its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

The world’s most important oil transit chokepoint just became significantly more dangerous for one of the Gulf’s largest energy producers. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has reported 15 separate missile and drone attacks on its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Iran-UAE conflict, a campaign that has left one person dead and 20 others injured.

The figures represent a sustained, months-long assault on commercial energy infrastructure that ADNOC CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has characterized as economic terrorism in violation of international maritime law.

A timeline of escalating strikes

The conflict opened on February 28, 2026, when Iran launched its first strikes against the UAE, reportedly in retaliation for coordinated US and Israeli military actions against Iranian territory.

ADNOC’s vessels entered the target list almost immediately. On May 4, 2026, the tanker Barakah was struck by drones while transiting the region. That incident ended without crew casualties.

The July 14, 2026 strikes were considerably more serious. Two very large crude carriers, the Mombasa B and the Al Bahyah, were hit by Iranian cruise missiles in Omani waters. One crew member was killed and eight others were injured in those attacks alone.

Al Jaber, who also serves as UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, has been direct in framing the attacks. His characterization of the strikes as economic terrorism points to a deliberate Iranian strategy of targeting civilian energy infrastructure rather than purely military assets.

The scale of Iran’s broader aerial campaign

The ADNOC incidents are part of a far wider Iranian offensive against the UAE. Since February 28, UAE air defenses have intercepted 537 ballistic missiles, 2,256 drones, and 26 cruise missiles, according to figures compiled through early April 2026.

Total conflict casualties across the UAE stood at 15 killed and 246 wounded as of early April 2026.

With over 2,000 drones deployed, Iran appears to be pursuing a volume-over-precision strategy, saturating UAE air defenses to maximize the probability that some portion of the salvo gets through. The Barakah, Mombasa B, and Al Bahyah incidents confirm that some did.

What the numbers have not shown, at least through the period covered by available reporting, is a decisive blow to ADNOC’s production capacity. The company’s output has continued despite the security environment.

What this means for energy markets and regional stability

Sustained attacks on VLCC-class tankers carry an outsized market signal. These vessels move enormous volumes per trip. A single successful strike that disables a VLCC or contaminates a cargo can remove meaningful supply from the market in a matter of hours.

Insurance costs for vessels transiting the region have risen sharply, as war-risk underwriters reassess exposure. Higher insurance premiums flow directly into shipping costs, which eventually show up in the delivered price of oil and fuel globally.

For energy investors, the central question is whether ADNOC’s production resilience holds. The company has, so far, absorbed 15 attacks without a major output disruption.