ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An unknown projectile struck a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to a British maritime monitor, as tensions remain high in the strategic waterway.
“A verified source has reported that a vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile. There is no reported damage or environmental impact,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported noting that the attack occurred Monday at 11:40 pm.
The Strait of Hormuz - a major energy chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass - has been a flashpoint since the outbreak of the war in late February, when the US and Israel launched a joint aerial campaign striking thousands of targets across Iran over six weeks.
While the warring sides reached a preliminary ceasefire in early April, followed by the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in mid-June that established a truce and opened a window for negotiations, both sides have traded repeated rounds of strikes.
Moreover, tensions in the Strait remain elevated. A US naval blockade on Iranian ports is still in effect since mid-July, and Iran continues to assert sovereignty over the key waterway, forcing commercial vessels to seek authorization for passage.
Oman’s Maritime Security Center said Tuesday that authorities were monitoring the towing of the Panama-flagged oil tanker ELGAIA to an Omani port after a fire in its engine room was extinguished.
The vessel was targeted 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Musandam Governorate. A Royal Navy of Oman ship evacuated 23 crew members, while search operations continued for two missing crew members, the center added.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Monday that the supertanker ELGAIA caught fire and burned after hitting a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC added that the vessel had ignored warnings against entering the restricted area, stating that “the Strait of Hormuz is closed and remains under our intelligent control.”
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that its forces had redirected 101 commercial vessels to enforce the blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran and Gulf states, including Iraq, were scheduled to meet on Monday in Oman to discuss commercial shipping through the waterway, but the meeting has been postponed indefinitely.
“We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi posted on X on Sunday, in a message accompanied by the flags of Oman, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
On Saturday, Iranian officials said a recent understanding with Oman did not mean the strategic waterway would reopen in the near future, insisting that the United States must first meet Iran’s demands.
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