An oil tanker has been hit by an “unknown projectile” and caught fire while passing through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, British maritime officials said Tuesday, an incident that has raised tensions along one of the world’s most vital energy shipping routes.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the tanker was traveling southbound near Lima, Oman, when it collided with its port side, causing a fire.The agency said there were no casualties or environmental damage and advised ships to use caution when passing through the area. Officials are investigating the incident.
US officials have blamed Iran for the attacks
Iran’s military fired at least two missiles at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, according to Axios, citing two US officials.A US official said the tanker reported by UKMTO was one of those ships, while another commercial ship was also hit by an Iranian missile. Both ships sustained significant damage, but no casualties were reported.The reported attacks came after a week-long agreement between the United States and Iran to stop attacks in the Strait of Hormuz expired.The temporary pause coincided with Iran’s six-day state funeral ceremony for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose body was taken from Tehran to the holy city of Qom on Monday after a huge funeral procession attended by millions of mourners.Axios reported that Washington may now consider retaliating against Iranian targets.The attack occurred despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and a long-term peace agreement between the United States and Iran.Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran held in Doha last week ended without significant progress on the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
major global shipping routes
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, carrying about 20 million barrels of crude oil every day in 2024, or about one-fifth of the global oil supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.The waterway was recently at the center of the US-Iran conflict, when Iran imposed a blockade and attacked several commercial vessels, causing global energy prices to rise sharply.Maritime traffic resumed after both sides signed a memorandum of understanding last month aimed at reopening the route.However, Tehran has said shipping will not return to pre-war arrangements and has warned ships against using routes outside the authorized corridor along Iran’s coastline.Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, will continue this week with events in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Qom, Iraq, before his burial in Mashhad on Thursday.The mass mobilization has been presented by the Iranian leadership as a show of public unity following the recent conflict.The British military said the tanker was attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman when it was attacked.The latest incident is expected to reignite concerns over the security of global energy supplies as tensions continue in the Gulf.