In the night to Tuesday, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched missile strikes against commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to preliminary reports, at least two cargo vessels were attacked. The incident could lead to a new escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States and endanger diplomatic efforts to reduce the conflict.
As reported by Axios, citing two U.S. officials, on Monday evening Iranian forces launched at least two rockets at commercial ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most important routes for transporting oil and liquefied natural gas.
Almost simultaneously, the British Maritime Trade Operations service (UKMTO) reported receiving a distress signal from a tanker that was traveling southbound off the coast of Oman. According to the agency, the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile on its port side, which caused a fire.
“UKMTO received a report of an incident eight nautical miles east of Lima (Oman). The tanker, sailing southbound, was struck by an unknown projectile on its port side, resulting in a fire. There have been no reports of injuries or environmental pollution,” the service said in a statement.
According to Axios sources, both vessels that were targeted sustained serious damage. At the moment, however, there is no information about crew members who were killed or injured.
In turn, Reuters notes that it has not yet been possible to independently confirm whether the incident reported by UKMTO involved one of the vessels mentioned by Axios.
According to The Wall Street Journal, one of the targets of the attack may have been the LNG tanker Al Rekayyat, owned by Qatar’s Nakilat (Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd.)—one of the world’s largest LNG fleet operators. According to the outlet, the projectile hit the ship’s port side, damaging the upper part of the engine room. At the time of the attack, the gas tanker was in the Gulf of Oman, near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
Experts warn that an attack on civilian vessels could trigger a new crisis in the region. According to U.S. sources, the incident increases the risk of retaliatory action by the United States, as had already happened during the previous escalation in relations between Washington and Tehran in late June.
Moreover, what has happened calls into question the prospects for implementing the memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran about three weeks ago. Despite the signing of the document, the parties have still been unable to achieve noticeable progress in discussions on key issues on the bilateral agenda.