A tanker caught fire early Tuesday after being hit by a projectile while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, according to the British military, in the latest attack on commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.
The incident took place in the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf, a key global shipping route through which about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas has traditionally passed during peacetime.
Iranian state television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked after it ignored warnings from Iranian authorities, but it stopped short of officially claiming responsibility.
Iran has repeatedly said that only shipping routes approved by Tehran are safe for vessels using the strait. The country has also been suspected of carrying out previous attacks on ships that used an alternative route closer to Oman's coastline.
The latest incident comes as the United States is seeking to continue negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, curbing Tehran's disputed nuclear programme and securing a lasting end to the war that began on Feb. 28. However, earlier attacks in the waterway have triggered U.S. retaliatory strikes, followed by Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab states, raising fears of wider regional conflict.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the tanker was struck near Limah, Oman, while heading south through the strait toward the Gulf of Oman. According to the agency, the projectile hit the vessel's port side.
UKMTO said there was no environmental damage from the attack and that authorities were investigating the incident.
Iranian state television, citing unnamed sources, suggested that Iran was behind the strike on what it described as a tanker carrying natural gas from Qatar. However, the Iranian government has not officially claimed responsibility.
Last Thursday, Iran's joint military command warned that all oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz must use routes approved by Tehran. It also cautioned that any interference by U.S. forces in the waterway would face a "rapid and decisive reaction."
Speaking at the White House on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran to reach an agreement with Washington.
"We'd rather make a deal because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump said. "We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply."
Under an interim agreement, Iran and the United States had agreed to allow ships to pass through the strait without fees for 60 days. However, Tehran later insisted it should control shipping routes and eventually collect transit fees, challenging long-standing international practice.
The United States and several Gulf Arab countries have rejected Iran's proposal to charge vessels for using the strait. Earlier efforts by Oman and a United Nations agency to establish an alternative route near Oman's coast also triggered attacks across the Middle East, underscoring tensions in the region.
According to shipping data firm Kpler, at least 108 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend using different routes.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered Tuesday near the Jamkaran Mosque south of Qom for funeral ceremonies for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to live footage broadcast by Iranian state television.
The mosque holds special religious significance for Shiite Muslims, who believe it was once visited by Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the ninth century and is expected to return one day to establish justice.
Images of Khamenei and his son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners carried by mourners. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly during the multi-day funeral ceremonies and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
Before the April ceasefire, Israel targeted several senior Iranian leaders during the conflict, in some cases reportedly using their public appearances to identify their locations. Israel has also threatened to target Mojtaba Khamenei.
Iranian authorities have closed roads, restricted airspace and suspended normal daily activities during the mourning period, which began on Saturday and will continue until Thursday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died at the age of 86, will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in his birthplace of Mashhad.