A third oil tanker was hit by projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz within a span of 24 hours, the UK maritime agency reported on Tuesday, marking the latest in a series of attacks targeting commercial vessels in the strategically vital waterway.
In a post on X, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the latest incident involved a tanker that was struck by an unidentified drone.
"UKMTO has received a report of a further incident involving a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker was struck by an unknown Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and has sustained minor structural damage. No casualties or environmental impact reported, and vessel is continuing to its next port of call," it said in a post on X.
The development follows two earlier attacks on tankers navigating the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf. One of those vessels caught fire after coming under attack off the coast of Oman. According to the agency, the projectile struck the port side of the ship as it was sailing south through the Strait of Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman.
Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, condemned the strike on the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat, calling it an "unacceptable attack" on international shipping and global energy security. He described the incident as a "serious and explicit violation" of international law.
In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran "fully legally responsible" for the attack.
Iranian state television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker had been targeted after "ignoring repeated warnings", but stopped short of directly claiming responsibility for the attack.
The second tanker involved in the earlier incidents also suffered structural damage after being hit, although no injuries were reported, according to the UK maritime agency.
The attacks come days after Iran declared that only shipping routes approved by Tehran through the Strait of Hormuz would be considered safe. Last Thursday, Iran's joint military command warned that all oil tankers using the passage must follow designated routes authorised by the country. It also warned that any interference by U.S. forces in the Strait of Hormuz "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction".
Although the United States and Iran signed a 14-point ceasefire agreement last month to end the war, and more than 200 vessels successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz in the week leading up to Sunday, the UK maritime agency has continued to classify the security threat in the area as "substantial".
The latest attacks have raised concerns over the uninterrupted movement of commercial shipping through one of the world's most critical energy corridors, threatening efforts to restore normal maritime operations and ease the economic disruption caused by the conflict.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Washington and Tehran appeared to have been paused until after the burial of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war. Mourners attending his funeral have called for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.
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