Tanker in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after being hit by a projectile – National
A tanker off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz burst into flames in the early hours of Tuesday after it was hit by an explosive device, the British military said.
The attack was the latest to target a vessel passing through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded has passed in peacetime. Iran’s state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked after it ignored warnings but did not say it had been attacked.
Tehran has repeatedly declared that its only authorized route through the strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other ships that have used an alternative route near the Omani coast.
The US is willing to move forward with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back the nuclear program against Tehran and reaching a permanent end to the war that began in Feb. 28. But previous attacks in the strait have prompted retaliatory strikes by the US, which have seen Iran attack Gulf Arab states – increasing the risk.
Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the US appear to have stalled until the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war. There are increasing signs that the mourners at his funeral were calling for the death of US President Donald Trump.
Authorities flew Khamenei’s body to the Shiite clerical city of Qom, where mourners paid their respects on Tuesday.
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The Tanker was hit by the latest attack
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the tanker was hit near Limah, Oman, on the road. UKMTO said the projectile hit the ship’s port while it was trying to head south out of the way towards the Gulf of Oman.
It said there was no environmental impact from the strike and the authorities are investigating.
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Iranian state TV, citing anonymous sources, revealed that Tehran attacked a ship carrying natural gas from Qatar. However, there is no official claim from the Islamic Republic regarding the attack.
Iran’s joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers sailing through the port must use approved methods. It also said that US military intervention in the crisis “will be met with a swift and decisive response.”
But the Joint Maritime Information Center, an international organization overseen by the US Navy, told shippers on Monday that the route around Oman “has been extended and remains accessible to all traffic.”
Trump on Monday at the White House also warned Iran that they will need to “make a deal, or we will finish the job.”
“I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Trump said. “We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can destroy their power.”
Iran and the United States have agreed as part of an interim agreement to allow ships to pass without paying tolls for 60 days. But Tehran has insisted that it must control shipping lanes and eventually impose tolls for passage, extending decades of practice in the waters.
The US and many Gulf Arab states say they will not allow Iran to pay to get past the crisis. An attempt by Oman and the United Nations to launch a new route along Oman’s coast has previously sparked attacks in the Mideast, highlighting tensions.
Data company Kpler reported that last weekend at least 108 ships crossed the route using different routes.
Mourners gather in Qom for Khamenei’s funeral
Iranian state television early Tuesday broadcast live footage from a helicopter of hundreds of thousands of people heading to the Jamkaran Mosque, south of Qom, for Khamenei’s funeral service. The mosque is believed by Shiites to have once housed Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and will one day reappear to bring justice to the world.
Portraits of Khamenei and his son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners and papers carried by mourners. Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to appear at the funeral ceremonies, which continue for several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being injured in an airstrike that killed his father.
At the height of the war, before the end of April, Israel targeted senior Iranian leaders, in at least one case who may have used their public appearances to correct their position. It also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.
Authorities have closed roads, airports and daily mourning, which began on Saturday and will end on Thursday as Khamenei is buried at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, where he was born. Khamenei was 86 years old.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
