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A tanker traveling off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz caught on fire early Tuesday morning after being struck by a projectile, the British military said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker had been hit near Limah, Oman, in the strait. The UKMTO said the projectile hit the port side of the vessel while trying to travel south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.
“A tanker has reported being hit by an unknown projectile on the port side causing a fire, whilst travelling southbound,” UKMTO said in a post on X.
It said there was no environmental impact from the strike and that authorities were investigating.
Iranian state television later said a liquified natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings.
The report, quoting anonymous sources, implied Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar.
However, there’s been no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.
Iran’s joint military command warned 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,” the Iranian statement said.
It also said that interference by US forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction.”
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.
The US and many Gulf Arab states say they won’t agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast, highlighting the tensions.
Additional sources • AP