A tanker travelling off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz caught on fire after it was struck by an “unknown projectile”, the UK military said on Tuesday.
The attack happened early on Tuesday near Limah, Oman, in the strait, marking the latest vessel to be targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said a projectile hit the port side of the vessel while trying to traveling south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.
It said there was no environmental impact from the strike and that authorities were investigating.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though Iran is suspected of attacking at least two other vessels in the strait traveling on a route near Oman in recent days.
It came as Axios reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night. Two commercial ships suffered significant damage but had no casualties, the report said, citing a US official.
Talks between Iran and the US to end the war appear to be on hold as Tehran is holding a burial of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran on 28 February.
Indirect US-Iran talks ended last week without any public sign of headway toward a lasting peace.
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US president Donald Trump on Monday said US would either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance.
“We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply…. They don’t have any money now. We haven’t given them any money,” he told reporters at the Oval Office on Monday.
On Tuesday, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that negotiations on a final deal “will not commence” if US threats continued. Mr Araghchi said that “millions of proud Iranians” were gathering for the funerals of the slain supreme leader.
“Neither them nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats,” he wrote on X. “Honour your signature,” he added.
The rhetoric and actions in the strait have complicated the 60-day ceasefire reached between the US and Iran. As part of an interim deal, formally signed at the Palace of Versailles, the two countries agreed to allow ships to pass without paying charges for the duration.
Iran’s joint military command said last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes.
“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” it said.
It said any interference or attack by the US forces “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction.”
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