Iran Strikes Oil Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz: 15 Indians Among Crew, Four Injured

Iran has targeted an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to the evacuation of its 20 crew members, including 15 Indians, with four sustaining injuries, amid a series of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.

The Oman News Agency reported that all crew members, consisting of 15 Indians and five Iranians, were evacuated, with initial reports indicating that four sustained varying injuries.

The strikes mark the first on the sultanate -- which mediated US-Iran talks -- since Tehran launched a retaliation campaign.

Media reports indicate that the oil tanker was targeted off the coast of an exclave in the UAE, with its crew evacuated and four of them injured, as Iran carried out retaliatory Gulf strikes.

Iranian state television said the oil tanker was sinking after it was struck while attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The incident took place as Iran exchanged strikes with the US and Israel.

"The Maritime Security Centre announced that the oil tanker (SKYLIGHT), flying the flag of the Republic of Palau, was targeted 5 nautical miles north of the port of Khasab in the governorate of Musandam," the Oman News Agency said on X.

"All crew members of the tanker, consisting of 20 people, including 15 Indians and 5 Iranians, were evacuated. Initial information indicates that four members of the ship's crew sustained varying injuries," it added.

"The fate of the offending oil tanker that was struck while attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz is that it is now sinking," Iran's state TV reported, without elaborating. It carried footage showing heavy black smoke emanating from the burning tanker at sea.

The Strait of Hormuz carries a quarter of the world's seaborne oil and a fifth of all liquified natural gas.

On Sunday morning, AFP correspondents heard blasts in Dubai, Doha and Manama as Iran carried out attacks in response to US and Israeli strikes that killed the country's supreme leader and other top officials.

Iran's Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in West Asia.

"A security source reported that the commercial port of Duqm was targeted by two drones," the Oman News Agency said in a social media post. "One drone struck a mobile workers' accommodation, injuring one foreign worker, while debris from the other landed near fuel tanks, causing no casualties or material damage," it added.

Shortly after, Oman said the oil tanker was targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated and four of them were injured, the news agency reported.

The second day of strikes comes on the heels of deadly attacks, with two civilians killed in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi as Iran targeted military bases but also civilian infrastructure across the Gulf on Saturday.

The UAE's presidential adviser Anwar Gargash lashed out at Tehran, calling the attacks on the Gulf states a miscalculation. "It isolated Iran at a critical juncture. Your war is not with your neighbours," said Gargash.

"Return to reason, to your surroundings, and deal with your neighbours rationally and responsibly before the circle of isolation and escalation widens," Gargash added.

Earlier Sunday, AFP reporters heard blasts in Dubai, the Bahraini capital Manama and in Qatar, where thick black smoke was seen rising on the clear morning horizon in the south of Doha.

Two people were injured when debris from intercepted drones fell on homes in Dubai, authorities said, and waves of blasts reverberated through Dubai and Doha later in the morning.

And in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, a woman and child were injured after debris from an intercepted drone collided with a building facade at Etihad Towers, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

An AFP correspondent also saw thick black smoke rising from Dubai's southern Jebel Ali Port on Sunday morning, after authorities said debris from an interceptor had sparked a fire overnight.

Early Sunday, drones also struck the airport in Bahrain's capital Manama, causing minor damage, authorities said.

(With inputs from AFP)