Tanker attacked off Oman coast, Washington blames Iran
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An oil tanker has come under attack off the coast of Oman, causing a fire to break out on one side of the vessel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a UK-based maritime tracking and monitoring agency, confirmed that the incident occurred on Tuesday morning, local time.
The UKMTO reported that an unidentified projectile was fired at the tanker 8 nautical miles east of the Limah area near the coast. The projectile struck the port (left) side of the tanker, igniting a fire.
However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or environmental damage. Authorities are currently investigating the matter.
In an interview with the news outlet Axios, two US officials blamed Iran for the attack. The officials claimed that the Iranian military fired at least two missiles targeting commercial vessels navigating through the Strait of Hormuz.
One of the officials stated that a second vessel was also hit. While both ships sustained extensive damage, no casualties were reported.
The news of this attack comes amidst the signing of an initial agreement with Iran and the ongoing funeral proceedings for the country's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran claims that, under this agreement, they hold sole responsibility for managing vessel transit through this critical waterway.
Iranian authorities have not yet issued any comment regarding the incident.
Source: Al Jazeera
