An oil tanker caught fire after being struck by an “unknown projectile” while transiting the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, British maritime authorities said on Tuesday, in an incident that has heightened tensions in one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the tanker was travelling southbound near Limah, Oman, when it was hit on its port side, triggering a fire.The agency said there were no casualties or environmental damage and advised vessels to exercise caution while transiting the area. Authorities are investigating the incident.
US officials blame Iran for attacks
According to Axios, citing two US officials, Iran’s military fired at least two missiles at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night.One US official said the tanker reported by UKMTO was among the vessels hit, while another commercial ship was also struck by an Iranian missile. Both vessels sustained significant damage, but no casualties were reported.The reported attacks came after a one-week agreement between the United States and Iran to halt attacks in the Strait of Hormuz expired.The temporary pause had coincided with Iran’s six-day state funeral ceremonies for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose body was moved from Tehran to the holy city of Qom on Monday after a massive funeral procession that drew millions of mourners.Axios reported that Washington is now likely to consider retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets.The attack occurred despite a ceasefire between the United States and Iran and ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a longer-term peace agreement.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.
Key global shipping route
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, carrying around 20 million barrels of crude oil every day in 2024, or roughly one-fifth of global oil supply, according to the US Energy Information Administration.The waterway was at the centre of the recent US-Iran conflict after Iran imposed a blockade and several commercial vessels came under attack, pushing global energy prices sharply higher.Maritime traffic resumed after both sides signed a memorandum of understanding last month aimed at reopening the route.However, Tehran has maintained that shipping will not return to pre-war arrangements and has warned vessels against using routes outside an authorised corridor along Iran’s coastline.The funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, continue this week with events in Qom, Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, before his burial in Mashhad on Thursday.The mass mobilisation has been projected by the Iranian leadership as a show of public unity following the recent conflict.The British military said the tanker was attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman when it was struck.The latest incident is expected to renew concerns over the security of global energy supplies as tensions in the Gulf continue to simmer.
