A tanker caught fire early Tuesday morning after being struck by a projectile while sailing off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that the projectile hit the port side of the vessel near Limah, Oman, as it attempted to travel south toward the Gulf of Oman. Authorities confirmed that there was no environmental impact from the strike and an investigation is currently underway.
While no official claim of responsibility has been made, Iranian state television, citing anonymous sources, suggested that Tehran was behind the assault on the tanker, which it identified as carrying natural gas from Qatar. This incident follows a warning issued last Thursday by Iran’s joint military command, which declared that all oil tankers must utilize approved routes through the strait and cautioned that any U.S. interference would trigger a decisive response. Conversely, the Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the U.S. Navy, informed shippers on Monday that the route near the Omani shore remains expanded and available for all traffic. Data from Kpler indicated that at least 86 ships traversed the strait over the weekend using various routes.
The attack occurs as Iran observes several days of mourning for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was 86. Funeral processions were held in Tehran on Monday, July 6, 2026, following ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque on Saturday, July 4, 2026, where mourners wrote messages including “We will kill Trump.” On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of mourners traveled toward the Jamkaran Mosque near Qom, a site believed by Shiites to have once hosted the 12th and last Shiite imam. Authorities have implemented widespread closures of streets and airspace throughout the mourning period, which is scheduled to conclude Thursday with a burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. During the ceremonies, imagery of the late leader and his son, the new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, have been prominently displayed, though the younger Khamenei has yet to appear publicly amid reports that he remains in hiding after being wounded in the same strike that killed his father.
The geopolitical situation remains fragile, with the U.S. seeking to negotiate a full reopening of the strait and a resolution to the ongoing conflict. Previous maritime attacks have led to retaliatory U.S. strikes and subsequent Iranian responses against Gulf Arab states, heightening fears of escalation. While international efforts to secure alternative shipping routes continue, tensions remain high as Iranian mourners have been documented calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump during the funeral processions.
A container ship, right, and a cargo vessel are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
The data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108 ships crossed through the strait using various routes.
