Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night.
Two commercial ships suffered significant damage but there were no casualties, Axios quoted a US official as saying.
Iran‘s state broadcaster, citing anonymous sources, said an oil tanker was targeted after it tried to cross “through the Omani route in the Strait of Hormuz with US Navy support.”
It added that it was attacked “after ignoring repeated warnings.”
In the post on X, IRIB also reposted an earlier warning to ships against crossing through the southern route in Oman’s waters.
Britain’s maritime security agency said a tanker also caught fire after being hit by a projectile east of Limah, in Oman, early on Tuesday. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said the tanker was struck on its port side while travelling south about 15km east of Limah. No casualties or environmental impact have been reported.
US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oil gained after the attacks, highlighting continued risks to traffic in the waterway. Brent rose towards $73 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was above $69. Prices fell by 30 per cent when the US and Iran agreed to a tentative ceasefire last month.
The reports stressed the risks to shipping around the strait, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of global oil supplies normally pass. Commercial vessels have come under attack since the Iran war began in February, despite the interim agreement that included provisions for safe passage in the strait.
Indirect US-Iran talks ended last week without any public sign of headway being made towards a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to create space for diplomacy following the US and Israeli strikes that started the conflict.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday Washington would either reach a deal with Tehran or “finish the job”, renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
‘Ready to fire at you’
Iran’s IRGC used maritime radio to warn ships at the weekend that “our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you”, The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting from a recording it obtained.
One of the vessels under attack appeared to be Al Rekayyat, a liquefied natural gas tanker owned and managed by Nakilat, also known as Qatar Gas Transport Company, which operates one of the world’s largest LNG shipping fleets. The ship was hit on the port side, at the top of the engine room, the WSJ report added.
“Engine room fire and full of smoke. Unable to assess further damage. All crew are safe and mustered on the starboard side,” the recording said.
The vessel was at the mouth of the strait, in the Gulf of Oman, when it was attacked. Nakilat, QatarEnergy and Qatar’s International Media Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Investors have been keeping a close eye on talks between the US and Iran over the fate of shipping through the strait.
– Reuters and input from media reports