Commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz were struck early Tuesday, again flaring tensions between the US and Iran as both sides presented a different narrative of the incident, while negotiations between them regarding maritime security in the region continue to remain stalled.
According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), it received reports that a tanker sailing south about eight nautical miles east of Limah, Oman, had been hit on its port side by an unidentified projectile, triggering a fire onboard. UKMTO said there were no reported casualties or signs of environmental damage, adding that investigations were underway.
Similarly, maritime security sources said that a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker was damaged off the coast of Oman. The vessel was identified by security sources as the Wedyan supertanker.
Speaking to Axios, US officials accused Iran’s IRGC of launching missiles at two commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway. According to the reports, both ships sustained significant damage, although no casualties were reported.
Iranian state television offered a different version of events, claiming one of the vessels had ignored repeated warnings while navigating a maritime corridor near the Omani coast that is opposed by Tehran. According to the broadcaster, the tanker was struck after failing to comply with those warnings.
One of the vessels targeted appeared to be Al Rekayyat, a liquefied natural gas tanker linked to Qatar’s LNG sector, The Wall Street Journal reported. Marine radio communications cited by the WSJ indicated that a fire broke out near the ship’s engine room, though all crew members were reported safe.
The attacks came less than three weeks after Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding under which Iran agreed to halt attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during negotiations over a broader agreement. A separate one-week arrangement aimed at preventing attacks in the waterway has since expired.
Indirect talks held in Doha last week ended without any major breakthrough on the issue of maritime security, according to US officials familiar with the discussions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that negotiations on a final agreement could not move forward while threats against Iran persisted, urging Washington to “honour your signature” under the memorandum.
Meanwhile, senior Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi said legislation would soon be introduced in parliament to formalize Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that any future arrangement concerning the waterway that excluded Tehran’s approval was “doomed to fail.”
