Iranian state television reported that an oil tanker was struck by fire in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday after failing to heed warnings. The UK Maritime Trade Operations said the vessel caught fire and all crew are safe. The incident adds pressure to U.S.-Iran nuclear talks and threatens energy routes.
Iranian state television reported Tuesday morning that an oil tanker was struck by fire in the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring warnings. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel caught fire and all crew are safe. This is the latest in a series of attacks that began overnight: as The Zioneer first reported at 03:15 Jerusalem, the IRGC struck a Qatari LNG tanker; within an hour, a second tanker was also hit. By 03:15, the UKMTO confirmed a vessel was hit on its port side above the engine room, with the crew safe but the engine room burning. Iranian state TV confirmed at 03:15 that the IRGC struck the Qatari vessel for "ignoring warnings." US sources reported a second vessel struck, and Iran's military claimed it attacked a gas tanker that disregarded warnings. A separate British-flagged tanker was attacked in recent days, as The Zioneer reported on Sat Jun 27 at 19:08 Jerusalem.
The escalation follows Iran's partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz last month. As The Zioneer reported on Sat Jun 20 at 22:53 Jerusalem, the IRGC Navy formally closed the strait, citing US and Israeli violations. On Thu Jun 25 at 19:37 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Iran's foreign minister reiterated a demand that all vessels pay tolls for passage. A tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile on Sat Jun 27 at 14:22 Jerusalem, and an Iranian source tied an explosion near Sirik to a tanker confrontation on Fri Jun 12 at 00:33 Jerusalem. The attacks come amid US-Iran nuclear talks in Muscat, with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi warning Tuesday that "final agreement talks will not begin if the threats continue." About 20% of the world's oil passes through the strait.
Several details remain unverified: the oil tanker's flag, ownership, and extent of damage have not been specified. While Iran claims the vessel ignored warnings, no independent confirmation of that claim has been published. The identity of the second vessel reported by US sources also remains unconfirmed.
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