UAV event in United Arab Emirates on Tue 8th September 2026

On 8 September 2026, evening, around 22:00 Muscat time, US Air Force and Navy jets and drones carried out strikes that directly impacted and disabled the Riesco crude oil tanker (IMO: 9251822) in the Gulf of Oman, around 12 nm northeast of the Coast of Khor Fakkan in Emirati territorial waters (Khor Fakkan, Ash Shariqah). There were no injuries or fatalities as crew was advised to abandon ship prior to the attack. The projectiles struck the deck and oil tanks of the ship sparking a number of fires and resulting in the sinking of the ship. Riesco was one of 5 Iran-affiliated tankers disabled by US forces on 8 September. CENTCOM stated that the tankers were part of a 'shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies' and that the attack was in retaliation to Iranian ballistic missiles targeting a US Navy warship twice over the past two days (coded separately).