Three tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, British maritime security agency UKMTO reported on Tuesday, after Qatar blamed Iran for an attack on one of its ships.
According to the maritime agency, the tanker was struck by a drone, but no structural damage was reported.
"UKMTO has received a report of a further incident involving a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker was struck by an unknown Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and has sustained minor structural damage. No casualties or environmental impact reported," it said in a post on X.
Earlier, UKMTO had reported two other vessels being hit in the Strait of Hormuz. Both ships were hit while travelling off the coast of Oman. One of the ships is believed to have sustained structural damage, while the other caught fire.
Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings, but did not directly claim the assault. There was no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.
Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said targeting the Qatari tanker, Al Rekayyat, in the strait was an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law.
Iran blamed
{{/usCountry}}Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said targeting the Qatari tanker, Al Rekayyat, in the strait was an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law.
Iran blamed
{{/usCountry}}Iran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
The US is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched on February 28. Previous attacks in the Strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the US. Iran then attacked the Gulf Arab states.
In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel, which has become the region's and the world economy's biggest source of tension.
Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the US appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war. Mourners at his funeral have called for the death of US President Donald Trump.
Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honoured him on Tuesday.