Qatar's Foreign Ministry called the attack on the tanker 'Al-Rakiat' near the Strait of Hormuz an act of aggression, demanded Iran immediately cease all actions threatening international shipping, and held Tehran fully liable for any damage, according to a statement reported by Israeli media.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry officially condemned the attack on its LNG tanker 'Al-Rakiat' near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday afternoon, describing it as 'aggression' and holding Tehran fully responsible for any damage. The statement, reported by Israeli media, comes after the tanker was struck by an Iranian missile in the early hours of Tuesday, and follows a series of reports about the vessel's condition — including a Reuters report that a fire continued to burn in the engine room, raising the risk of explosion.
The Zioneer first reported the attack at 03:34 Jerusalem time, citing an initial report of an IRGC missile strike on merchant ships. Subsequent updates identified the damaged vessel as the Qatari-owned LNG tanker 'Al-Rakiat', confirmed the IRGC was behind the attack, and reported that Iran's government formally claimed responsibility. By 03:34, the story had evolved to include confirmation of two commercial ships damaged and the tanker ablaze, and a Reuters report that the engine room fire was still burning and the tanker was at risk of exploding. Source quality evolved from a single unconfirmed report to multiple sources, including Reuters and maritime security sources.
The attack is the latest in a series of Iranian strikes on commercial shipping in the strategic waterway. As The Zioneer reported on June 19, Iran threatened indefinite closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and on June 17, Iran's parliament speaker stated that the waterway would not return to pre-war status. The U.S. has responded to previous attacks, with CENTCOM launching strikes across Iran following a tanker attack on June 28, as The Zioneer reported.
It is not yet confirmed whether the fire on the 'Al-Rakiat' has been extinguished or if the crew has been evacuated. The extent of damage to the two other commercial ships hit in the same attack also remains unclear. No independent verification of Qatar's statement has been released beyond Israeli media reports.
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