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A third tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on July 7.
“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,” UKMTO said in an advisory notice.
Earlier in the day, two vessels were hit near the strategic waterway, the Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Al Rekayyat and the Saudi oil supertanker Wedyan, with Axios reporting that the attacks were carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
A United States official told the American news website that both vessels sustained significant damage, but there were no casualties.
The vessels were reportedly passing through the Strait’s Omani route, which the Islamic Republic previously warned against using.
Qatar summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador to lodge a complaint after an attack on Al Rekayyat, which is reported to be at risk of exploding.
The Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement that it handed a diplomatic note to the “deputy ambassador,” demanding an explanation for the incident and calling on Iran to “immediately cease any practices undermining regional security and to refrain from endangering the safety of international shipping and global energy supplies.”
Saudi Arabia also blamed the Islamic Republic. In a statement, the kingdom’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks on Wedyan and Al Rekayyat.
In an apparent response to latest attacks near Hormuz, the U.S. revoked a general license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil.
A U.S. official told Reuters that the Islamic Republic’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz are “wholly unacceptable” and will be met with consequences. The official, noted, however, that negotiators continue to work in good faith toward a final agreement with Iran despite the latest escalation.
The U.S. agreed to temporary lift the sanctions as a part of the memorandum of understanding to end the war that was signed earlier that month. Under the deal, Iran also agreed to guarantee the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The coming hours could see more escalation, with the U.S. launching strikes against Iran, although this is unlikely to lead to the collapse of the deal.
Late in June, two vessels were targeted by Iran along the Oman route in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the U.S. launched strikes against the Islamic Republic for three consecutive nights. The IRGC retaliated by striking American bases in both Kuwait and Bahrain. Still, American and Iranian officials held a round of indirect talks in Qatar later.
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tehran is begging to be nuked!
heheheh