A tanker was struck by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday. File Photo by EPA
Aug. 24 (UPI) — An unidentified projectile struck an oil tanker off the coast of Oman early Tuesday, a British sponsored maritime security organization said, the latest attack in the U.S.-Iran war over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The UKMTO center said in a statement that it received a report of the strike at about 12:25 a.m. local time. It said the vessel was struck roughly 9 nautical miles northeast of Ash Shishan, Oman.
The tanker, which was not identified, sustained damage to its engine room, disabling the vessel.
“Crew reported safe,” the UKMTO center said. “Environmental impact is unknown at the time of the report.”
The UKMTO did not identify who launched the projectile nor has anyone yet taken responsibility. However, the strike comes as Iran has been enforcing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran started the ongoing war in late February.
The Trump administration has for months employed military operations combined with economic measures to secure a diplomatic end to the conflict, its focus has since shifted to restoring freedom of navigation to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping route. Meanwhile, Iran continues to use the strait as a bargaining chip in negotiations and has said it is seeking to maintain sovereignty over vessels that pass through it.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States has control of the Strait of Hormuz and that vessels are transiting it. Over the weekend, Trump posted an image of the strait, calling it a “new U.S. territory” on his Truth Social media platform.
However, despite Trump’s claims, the number of vessels trainsiting the strait has drop from about 140 to a handful a day, according to a maritime tracker by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Over the weekend, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian government entity formed to oversee the Strait of Hormuz, warned that vessels violating its protocols face with punitive measures, such as restrictions on future passages, fines, detention or confiscations.
On Monday, the Trump administration unveiled even more stringent sanctions targeting Iran, tightening its financial vises on Tehran.
U.S. Central Command also said a blockade of Iran’s ports, enforced since July 14 in response to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, has redirected 71 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two others.