Oman navy rescues 16 crew members from Saudi vessel struck by Iran

Oman's navy on Monday revealed that it had rescued 16 crew members from a Saudi-flagged oil tanker that Iran attacked one week ago in the Strait of Hormuz.

"A Royal Navy of Oman vessel provided logistical support to the tanker's 25-member crew and evacuated 16 crew members while ensuring that the necessary medical care was provided," Oman's Maritime Security Centre said in a statement.

The statement did not elaborate on the fate of all the crew members but confirmed two seamen on the vessel, the SIDR, had been killed in the incident.

Saudi Arabia's national shipping firm said on Wednesday that two Filipino sailors were killed when the tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz as fresh violence flared between the US and Iran earlier in the week.

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran disrupting traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the US persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

The latest development comes as UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash announced on Monday that Abu Dhabi is building alternative routes for its energy exports and trade to ensure they are not "held hostage" by the ongoing war between the US and Iran. 

"Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity," Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE has been expanding port capacity along its eastern coast, as well as developing pipelines, railways and trade routes for alternative corridors, he said.

While acknowledging that relations with Iran could eventually recover, Gargash warned that rebuilding trust after the attacks could take decades.

He also criticised Gulf Arab states for failing to mount a coordinated response to Iran, saying they had been unable to translate shared concerns into a unified strategy.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson echoed similar concerns at the policymakers' forum, saying Gulf Arab countries should not rely solely on their strategic partnership with the US for security.

"We need to realise in the Gulf that having international forces in the region, having a strategic alliance with the US is very important but is not enough," Majed al-Ansari said.

"Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward."

Gargash argued that while the partnership with the US is essential, the six-month conflict has exposed the importance of national capabilities.

"Our security is our first priority. When we depend entirely on others, we cannot always assume it will be their priority," he said.