ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The UAE on Thursday condemned a "hostile Iranian attack" on two vessels affiliated with an Emirati state-owned oil company in the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting Tehran's use of the strategic waterway as a "tool of economic coercion."

The two ships were linked to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and were targeted on Thursday night, with no casualties having been inflicted on the vessels' crew, per the Emirati foreign ministry.

The ministry "emphasized that targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security."

"The UAE further stressed the need for Iran to halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to safeguard regional security, and maintain the stability of the global economy and trade."

Iran has exerted control over the strait as a retaliatory measure amid the ongoing war with the US, hampering global energy supplies and raising the economic stakes for Washington as the conflict drags on.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday insisted that his country has "total control" over the strait, describing the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as a "WALL of STEEL."

The Iranian state-run Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) responded by saying that the claims "do not change the reality," noting, "The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted."

Tehran is currently in negotiations with Oman to formulate a joint management system for Hormuz that will likely spell an end to free transit and impose a tolling mechanism, despite US objections.

"The United States is the source of instability in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman, and by imposing an illegal war on Iran, it has put the entire region at risk," said Mohsen Rezai, the newly appointed secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Tehran on Tuesday.

The UAE, geographically situated near the strait, has been one of Iran's main targets during its strikes on the Gulf during the conflict on account of the US military presence and Abu Dhabi's increasing alignment with Israel.