DUBAI,— The Strait of Hormuz remains closed and Iran must reopen it without conditions and accept responsibility for damages following attacks on facilities, the chief executive of UAE state oil firm ADNOC said Thursday.

Sultan Al Jaber said in a LinkedIn post that the narrow waterway has been effectively shut since the U.S.-Israeli war began on February 28, 2026, adding that access is being restricted, conditioned, and controlled.

He wrote that Iran has shown through statements and actions that passage depends on permission, conditions and political leverage, calling it coercion rather than freedom of navigation.

Jaber, who also serves as minister of industry and advanced technology, said energy producers must restore output quickly and safely at scale.

He added ADNOC has loaded cargoes and will increase production within limits caused by damage to its facilities.

Energy facilities have also been attacked in neighboring Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Jaber said the UAE has repeated its position that after what he described as illegal attacks on civil and energy infrastructure, Iran must be held accountable and fully liable for damages and reparations.

Reuters reported in mid-March that UAE oil production dropped by more than half after the closure forced ADNOC to carry out broad shut-ins.

ADNOC is central to the economy of the UAE, an OPEC member that produced about 4% of global oil supply before the war.

A Reuters analysis found March revenue was little changed from a year earlier as higher prices offset lower output and crude was shipped through an alternative route.

Jaber, also the country’s climate envoy, was president of the COP28 summit in Dubai in 2023.

He has led ADNOC for a decade and pushed modernization efforts that raised billions of dollars, adopted strategies used by Western oil companies and set global growth targets.

He said the strait must be open fully, unconditionally and without restriction because energy security and global economic stability depend on it.

He added that each day it remains closed worsens the impact, delaying supply, tightening markets and raising prices.

About 230 ships loaded with oil are waiting to sail and should be allowed to depart along with all other vessels, he said.

He said this would help slow the economic shockwave already moving through the system.

The statement was posted publicly and reflects the UAE position on maritime access and energy flows during the conflict period at this time.

In March 2026, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber described any move by Iran to limit traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as “economic terrorism.”

(With files from Reuters)

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