Abu Dhabi's state oil giant has come under direct fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with the UAE foreign ministry publicly blaming Tehran for a missile attack on one of its tankers. The accusation lands as Iran signals a possible diplomatic breakthrough with Oman over the strategic waterway's future, though officials insist any reopening remains conditional. Main Developments UAE authorities said Saturday that an ADNOC-owned tanker was struck by a missile while transiting the strait, reporting no casualties from the incident. The foreign ministry's statement condemned what it termed a hostile Iranian attack, marking an unusually direct public accusation from the Gulf state. ADNOC had disclosed on Friday that 15 of its vessels have been attacked in Hormuz since the regional war began, including three within a single week. Those attacks have unfolded against a backdrop of Iran's effective blockade of the strait, which it wants to charge users for passage. Read also: Gold in Pakistan Hits Rs456,536 per Tola After Rs2,200 Rise Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that negotiations with Oman were approaching their final stages. He stressed, however, that a deal would not automatically mean the strait's reopening, which he tied to compensation for what Tehran describes as a US violation of a June memorandum of understanding. Background The waterway has long been a critical chokepoint, carrying roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas before US-Israeli strikes in February triggered a wider regional conflict. Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of its military, have taken a hard line on any negotiated settlement, insisting that opening the strait operates under its own mechanism. The Guards issued a statement Saturday reinforcing that position, saying the strait's opening is separate from the Iran-Oman talks and that the enemy must accept Tehran's conditions. The June agreement referenced by Araghchi was meant to set terms for peace talks between Washington and Tehran. Why It Matters The escalating attacks on commercial shipping threaten global energy supplies and raise the stakes for the entire Gulf region. A formal agreement between Iran and Oman could reshape how the strait is managed, but Tehran's insistence on compensation and its hardline military posture suggest a turbulent path ahead. The UAE's public condemnation signals growing tension among Gulf states over Iran's actions, even as diplomatic channels remain open. For oil markets, the question of when — or whether — Hormuz returns to normal operations carries enormous weight. What's Next Talks between Iran and Oman are reportedly near completion, though Araghchi cautioned that final arrangements remain subject to conditions. The Revolutionary Guards' insistence that the strait's reopening follows a separate mechanism leaves significant ambiguity about how any deal would be implemented. Whether the United States will engage with Iran's demands for compensation under the June memorandum remains an open question. The coming weeks are likely to clarify whether the negotiations produce a tangible framework or collapse under the weight of competing conditions.