A reliable source in the United Arab Emirates told Iran International that before the news of the attack against four UAE vessels was confirmed, Abu-Dhabi officials had tried to ask for an explanation from Iran about the incident through Moscow. The source that shall remain anonymous told Iran International on Monday: “After the incident on Sunday morning, UAE officials tried to avoid direct contact with Tehran.” According to the source, “they probably prefer to leave the decision to the United States.”

Meanwhile, a source in the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on four UAE vessels and described it as a “dangerous threat to the safety and security of maritime transportation in the region and the world.”

In a brief statement by the official Saudi news agency, the source emphasized the solidarity of Saudi Arabia with the UAE in any efforts to protect its security and interests.

Previously, Khaled Al-Falih, the Saudi minister of oil had announced that two oil tankers of his country were seriously damaged by a sabotage attack in Fujairah port.

Without mentioning the names or details of the tankers, Falih said: “Luckily, the attack did not lead to any deaths or oil spill but caused serious damage to the vessels.”

On Sunday, the foreign ministry of UAE announced that four commercial ships near its port were targeted with sabotage.

The incident occurred a few days after the United States warned commercial ships about possible attacks from Iran or its proxies in the Persian Gulf. At the same time, the U.S ministry of defense deployed an aircraft career and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf.

The spokesman for Iran’s ministry of foreign defense described the Sunday events as “concerning and regrettable”.

Fujairah is 85 miles away from the Strait of Hormuz. Almost a third of world’s oil passes through this strait.