Iran Claims US Drone Downed as Gulf States Condemn Attack on UAE Tankers

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published August 14, 2026

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Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz escalated on Friday, August 14, 2026, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Hormozgan province, as Gulf states condemned an attack on two vessels belonging to the UAE’s state-owned ADNOC while transiting the strategic waterway.

The IRGC said the American drone was intercepted and destroyed using a newly deployed air-defence system. There was no immediate independent US confirmation of the Iranian claim.

Separately, the UAE said two ADNOC tankers were attacked by drones on Thursday evening while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said two vessels sustained minor damage in drone attacks in the area.

The UAE Foreign Ministry blamed Iran for the attacks and said targeting commercial shipping threatened freedom of navigation and maritime security. Tehran had not immediately responded to the Emirati accusations.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi also condemned the attacks, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a threat to maritime navigation and international trade, while reaffirming the GCC’s solidarity with the UAE.