Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz with at least two missiles on Monday night.
A tanker near Oman’s Limah caught fire after being hit, while a second commercial vessel also sustained damage.
No casualties or environmental impacts were reported from either of the struck commercial vessels.
Tehran launched at least two missiles at merchant vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night. Two US officials cited by Axios confirmed the strikes. The attack followed the expiration of a week-long truce designed to halt hostilities in the strategic waterway.
An unidentified projectile struck a tanker navigating near the Omani coast, sparking a fire on board, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency stated. A second merchant ship was hit by a missile launched from Iran, a US official told Axios. While both vessels sustained damage, neither incident resulted in injuries or ecological harm.
Washington will probably retaliate by targeting Iranian assets, a US official said.
Details Of Strikes
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) stated that a tanker was hit on its port side while travelling south about 8 nautical miles east of Oman's Limah, causing a fire, Reuters reported. UKMTO stated that no casualties or environmental impact had been reported.
An Iranian missile struck a second merchant vessel, a US official told Axios. Both ships sustained damage, but no crew members were injured.
Diplomatic Pact Unravels
These fresh hostilities erupted only weeks after Washington and Tehran inked a 14-point de-escalation pact in June. This return to violence threatens to destroy the fragile diplomatic understanding reached less than three weeks ago.
Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Doha last week concluded without any breakthrough regarding the waterway, Axios reported. CNN reported that Iran has weaponized the strategic passage since American and Israeli bombardments on Tehran sparked retaliatory strikes and a broader regional war. Both nations continued to trade fire even after finalizing their June de-escalation pact, CNN reported.
Tehran now demands that ship crews secure authorization to navigate channels cleared by its authorities. On Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent naval patrol vessels to obstruct the "Omani route", state media and an IRGC-linked Telegram channel stated.
Shipping Traffic Disrupted
Almost 30 per cent of ships navigating the waterway between Friday and Sunday sailed along the Omani coastline, CNN reported, citing MarineTraffic tracking data. The tracking firm stated that 30 out of 108 vessels, including liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil tankers, chose this path.
Traffic through the strait, which carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied gas supplies, was highest on Friday with 43 crossings, followed by 34 on Saturday and 31 on Sunday, CNN reported, citing MarineTraffic data.
MarineTraffic described the activity as "operational but fragmented", stating it should be read alongside the ongoing security and diplomatic situation.
