The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center reported that three tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, marking the latest assaults on vessels navigating the strategic waterway. One tanker, traveling off the coast of Oman, caught fire after being hit. Iranian state television claimed the liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked after ignoring warnings, but did not directly claim responsibility. Two other tankers were also hit, one by a drone, sustaining damage but no injuries. At least one continued its journey.
Details of the Attacks
The UKMTO said the first tanker was struck near Limah, Oman, with a projectile hitting its port side as it attempted to exit the strait southward toward the Gulf of Oman. No environmental damage was reported, and authorities are investigating. Iranian state TV, citing anonymous sources, implied Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker carrying Qatari natural gas. However, no official claim was made by Iran.
Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, condemned the attack on the Qatari tanker Al-Rekayyat as an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security, calling it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law. In a post on X, he stated that Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible.”
Escalating Tensions in the Strait
The new assaults threaten to disrupt shipping just as countries hoped to restore normal traffic and ease the global economic strain from the US-Iran war. Iran’s joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers must use its approved routes and that interference by US forces would meet a “rapid and decisive reaction.” In contrast, the Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the US Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains available for all traffic.”
Tehran is suspected of targeting ships using alternative routes near the Omani shore, having repeatedly declared only its approved path safe. Previous attacks in the strait have sparked US retaliatory strikes, with Iran then attacking Gulf Arab states. In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.
US-Iran Negotiations and Broader Context
The US is eager to press ahead with negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Iran’s nuclear program, and ending the war launched on February 28. However, talks appeared on hold until after the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the war’s outset. Mourners at his funeral called for the death of US President Donald Trump. Authorities flew Khamenei’s body to Qom for honors on Tuesday.
Speaking Monday at the White House, Trump warned Iran to “make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job.” He added, “I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply.”
Dispute Over Passage Fees
Iran and the US had agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted on controlling routes and later charging fees, which would upend decades of practice. The US and many Gulf Arab states reject any Iranian passage fees. An effort by Oman and a UN agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore earlier sparked attacks across the Middle East. Data firm Kpler reported that over the past weekend, at least 108 ships crossed the strait using various routes.
