Ship is reported seized off the coast of the UAE and is heading toward Iran

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Ship is reported seized off the coast of the UAE and is heading toward Iran

2026-05-14 17:22 Last Updated At：17:30

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said Thursday.

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, 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz.

The seizure comes as U.S. President Donald Trump was meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a much-anticipated visit to Beijing. The leaders' talks are expected to focus on the war with Iran, which has seriously disrupted trade in oil, gas and other products and rattled the global economy.

It happened hours after Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had quietly visited the UAE during the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran, though the UAE swiftly denied that any secret visit had occurred.

The Gulf nation normalized relations with Israel in 2020. Iran has criticized that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the UAE.

Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalizing relations.

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

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.

Iran has seized a number of ships, including a tanker identified as the Ocean Koi last week, saying it was attempting to disrupt oil exports and Iranian interests, according to the official IRNA news agency. It said the tanker was seized in the Gulf of Oman and was carrying Iranian oil when it was boarded and taken to Iran’s southern coast.

The U.S. sanctioned the Ocean Koi in February as part of a “shadow fleet” that has been transporting Iranian oil.

A Hezbollah drone exploded inside Israel, injuring three civilians, two of them severely, according to the Israeli military and hospitals. Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-constant fire across the border despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on April 17.

Hezbollah has frequently used drones to attack Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and over the border in northern Israel. The Israeli air force has struck areas across southern Lebanon.

Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday, as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbors that have been in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.

The United Nations has also accused Hezbollah of drone strikes near its peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon. Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to both sides is that they must observe the ceasefire and stop all attacks, U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said Wednesday that since the war began on March 2, 2,896 people have been killed and 8,824 wounded. Eighteen Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon.

Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

Hungary summons Russian ambassador to protest attack in Ukraine near its border

BUDAPEST (AP) — Hungary has summoned the Russian ambassador over a massive drone attack near Hungary’s border with Ukraine, marking a stark shift of tone by new Prime Minister Péter Magyar toward Moscow after years of cozy relations with the Kremlin under former Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán.

The ambassador, Evgeny Stanislavov, is expected at arrive at the foreign ministry around noon Thursday to speak with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán about strikes that hit the Ukrainian region of Transcarpathia on Wednesday. The region is home to a sizable Hungarian minority.

“The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on Transcarpathia," Magyar said Wednesday during a press conference in Ópusztaszer in southern Hungary when he announced the summons.

“She will tell him the same and ask for information on when Russia and Vladimir Putin plan to finally end this bloody war that began more than four years ago,” the prime minister added.

The Russian government has not made any public statements on the summons.

Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage Wednesday targeting about 20 regions of Ukraine including Transcarpathia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. It killed at least six people and wounded dozens, including children. Lasting hours, it was one of the longest-lasting attacks by Moscow in the war now in its fifth year.

Zelenskyy called the summons in Budapest an “important message” and thanked Magyar for his comments.

“Moscow has once again shown itself to be a common threat not only to Ukraine, but also to neighbouring countries and Europe as a whole,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

After defeating Orbán in a historic vote in April, Magyar has vowed to undo much of the legacy built during Orbán’s 16 years in power, with a particular focus on alleged corruption.

The summons marks a stunning change after years of close relations between Hungary — both a member of the European Union and NATO — and Moscow, even following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In March, the Russian ambassador Stanislavov posted on Facebook an open letter to Magyar denying Moscow was involved in helping long-time Kremlin ally Orbán.

“It’s really not worth scaring Hungarians with imaginary Russian threats,” he wrote. “The embassy has clear objectives: to ensure the maintenance of normal bilateral relations, to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the current situation where possible, and to protect the interests of citizens of Russia and Hungary.”

McNeil contributed from Brussels.