21/07/2026
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21/07/2026
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MUSCAT, Jul 21: The crew of a commercial tanker abandoned ship after the vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz off the Omani coast, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
UKMTO said the tanker was hit near Limah, Oman, prompting a fire on board. The vessel's company security officer reported that the crew evacuated into a lifeboat after the attack. Authorities are investigating the incident, while maritime agencies have urged ships transiting the area to exercise extreme caution.
The incident came shortly after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that explosions had sparked "massive fires" aboard two oil tankers attempting to use what it described as the Strait of Hormuz's unsafe southern shipping route. The claims could not be independently verified.
The latest attack underscores mounting security risks in one of the world's busiest energy shipping corridors as regional tensions continue to escalate, raising fresh concerns over the safety of commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement Monday that they targeted two oil tankers attempting to use the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, causing explosions and fires that brought the vessels to a halt, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
The IRGC said the tankers had ignored warnings and tried to pass through what it described as an unsafe route.
“As long as US hostilities in the region continue, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, and not a single drop of oil or gas or a single package of chemical fertilizer will be exported from the region,” it said.
