ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A tanker has been struck by projectiles in Gulf waters off Qatar, a British navy monitor said late Wednesday, adding that “casualties” have been reported. The attack comes amid new indications that the United States is reportedly preparing to resume major combat operations against Iran.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the incident was reported some 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, on the northern tip of the peninsula state.
“A tanker has reported being struck by multiple projectiles,” the monitor relayed, noting that “casualties have been reported” and that “authorities are investigating” the incident.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the statement concluded.
This comes only days after the monitor reported on Monday that two tankers had been struck in the nearby Strait of Hormuz within a 24-hour period, while a third tanker avoided being hit by complying with instructions from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
UKMTO said it had received delayed reports that a crude oil tanker was struck by a projectile and that an inbound liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker was also hit by a similar object.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint through which about a fifth of the world's oil and LNG passed before the US-Israeli war with Iran began in late February, has remained a major flashpoint in the conflict.
In its weekly Voluntary Reporting Area overview published last week, UKMTO said vessels continued to face attacks in the waterway, with some 48 projectile strikes reported since early July, 25 of which involved damage to vessels' engine rooms.
The International Maritime Organization estimates that 24 seafarers have been killed in attacks across the region since the Iran war began.
For his part, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington must "finish up" its campaign against Iran, adding that Tehran's military has been effectively destroyed.
Speaking at an event in Maryland, Trump said, "We have to finish up. And it's only a question of which way. Do we want to do it? The nice way or the not so nice way. And pretty soon you'll find out."
The US president added that Iran's air force and navy had been "annihilated" by his country’s forces and that 159 Iranian ships had been sunk.
"They have no military. It's shut. The whole place is shut," he said, describing Iran as a "failed nation" and pointing to severe economic difficulties, inflation and alleged failures to pay members of its police and military.
Meanwhile, the US news website Axios on Thursday cited US officials as saying that "the Pentagon instructed US Central Command several days ago to conclude preparations for resuming major combat operations in Iran."
"The directive didn't include a specific date for launching strikes, and President Trump hasn't made any final decisions," the outlet reported, adding that "US and Israeli sources say it could happen before the US midterm elections [in November] and possibly the Israeli elections a week earlier."
