Iran fired missiles at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging vessels and escalating tensions just after a ceasefire ended and amid Iran's mourning of former Supreme Leader Khamenei's death.
Iran’s military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, according to two US officials who spoke to Axios.
The fresh attacks come less than three weeks after Iran agreed to stop targeting ships in the busy waterway under a memorandum of understanding. They also happened just after a one-week agreement between the US and Iran to pause attacks in the strait came to an end.
The incident also comes as people across Iran mourn the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the conflict.
Iran fires at commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz again
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report that a tanker had been hit by an unknown projectile about eight nautical miles east of Limah, Oman. The projectile struck the vessel on its port side, causing a fire while the ship was sailing south. UKMTO said no casualties or environmental damage had been reported.
A US official later told Axios that a second commercial ship was also struck by an Iranian missile. According to the official, both ships suffered heavy damage.
The missile strikes followed days of growing threats from Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, which has been warning ships against using a route near the coast of Oman that was cleared by the US military.
Over the weekend, the force issued a direct warning to ships through maritime radio. “Our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you.” According to The Wall Street Journal, members of the Guard and their allies have been one of the biggest hurdles to reaching a peace deal.
LNG tanker among ships targeted
One of the ships believed to have been hit is Al Rekayyat, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker owned and managed by Qatar’s shipping company Nakilat. In the early hours of Tuesday, a crew member on another ship anchored nearby heard an emergency message from Al Rekayyat over marine VHF radio.
According to the recording obtained by the WSJ, the vessel had been struck on the port side, above the engine room. “Engine room fire and full of smoke. Unable to assess further damage. All crew are safe and mustered on the starboard side.”
The tanker was at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman when it was attacked. According to the audio recording, its location was clearly identified. Data from LSEG shows the ship has not transmitted GPS signals since June 18.
US may respond with military strikes
The attacks have raised fears that the situation could worsen again in one of the world’s most important shipping routes. US officials believe the latest strikes could lead to military retaliation, with the US expected to carry out strikes against Iranian targets.
Shipping had just started returning to normal
The latest attacks come just as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had begun to recover. In recent days, between 30 and 60 vessels have been passing through the vital waterway each day. Shipping companies had continued using the route despite two separate attacks last month on a cargo ship and an oil tanker.
Oil prices had recently started coming down, with Brent crude falling to around $72 a barrel, its lowest level in four months.
Just hours before the latest attack, major oil-producing countries had tried to keep the market stable. Over the weekend, OPEC+ agreed to slowly increase oil production in August to help ease supply shortages.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, signalled that demand was weakening by sharply reducing the price of its Arab Light crude for buyers in Asia.
The company cut the price by $11 a barrel, bringing it to a $1.50 discount. The move reminded many traders of earlier oil price wars.
The decisions by OPEC+ and Saudi Aramco were aimed at keeping enough oil in the market and stopping prices from rising too quickly. However, the latest military action near the Strait of Hormuz has put those efforts at risk.
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