A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and was heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said Thursday, while India said a cargo ship was sunk amid the volatile, simmering battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers, or 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz.

Fujairah is an important oil export terminal and the UAE’s main port outside of the Persian Gulf. It has been repeatedly attacked during the war with Iran.

UKMTO did not name the ship and said it is investigating. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the seizure.

Meanwhile, an Indian cargo vessel carrying livestock from Africa to the United Arab Emirates was sunk in waters off the coast of Oman.

India condemned the attack and said all 14 crew members had been rescued by the Omani coastguard. Vanguard, a British maritime security advisory firm, said the vessel had been hit by a missile or drone which caused an explosion.

Iran’s foreign minister, meanwhile, accused the UAE of direct involvement in military operations against his country, during a BRICS meeting in New Delhi, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.

“I didn’t name the UAE in my statement for the sake of unity. But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn’t even issue a condemnation,” Araghchi said, according to Mehr news, in response to comments made by the Emirati representative.

Earlier this week, a report said that the UAE, which has been repeatedly attacked by Iran since the start of fighting, carried out strikes on Iran, though it has not publicly acknowledged taking such action.

The accusation came hours after Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had quietly visited the UAE during the Israeli-US war with Iran, though the UAE swiftly denied that any secret........

© The Times of Israel