Tanker catches fire after projectile strike in Strait of Hormuz

A tanker caught fire early Tuesday after a projectile struck it in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said, adding to a series of attacks on vessels using the narrow Gulf passage. The incident matters because the strait has long been one of the world’s most important energy routes, with about a fifth of traded oil and natural gas once moving through it in peacetime.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker was hit near Limah, Oman, as it traveled south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman. UKMTO said the projectile struck the vessel’s port side and that authorities were investigating.

The maritime center said there was no environmental impact from the strike. It did not identify who fired the projectile.

Iranian TV points to warnings, without an official claim

Iranian state television, citing anonymous sources, said the liquefied natural gas tanker was carrying gas from Qatar and had been attacked after ignoring warnings. The broadcast suggested Tehran was involved, but Iranian authorities did not formally claim responsibility.

Iran’s joint military command warned last Thursday that oil tankers moving through the strait must use routes approved by Tehran. It also said any interference by U.S. forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction.”

The Associated Press reported that Tehran has repeatedly said its approved route is the safe option through the strait and is suspected of attacking ships that have used a route closer to Oman’s shore. The route dispute has become a central issue in efforts to restore shipping through the waterway.

Under an interim arrangement, Iran and the United States agreed to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. Tehran has said it must control vessel routes and later charge fees for passage, a position the United States and many Gulf Arab states say they will not accept.

Oman and a United Nations agency previously tried to open a new route near the Omani coast, an effort that was followed by attacks across the Middle East, according to AP. The data firm Kpler said at least 108 ships crossed the strait over the weekend using various routes.

Talks stalled during Khamenei funeral events

The attack came as Washington seeks to continue negotiations with Iran on fully reopening the strait, limiting Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war that began Feb. 28. AP reported that previous attacks in the strait have drawn U.S. retaliatory strikes, followed by Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab states.

Those talks appear to be paused until after the burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war, AP reported. Iranian authorities flew his body overnight to Qom, where state television showed crowds moving toward Jamkaran Mosque for funeral rites Tuesday.

Banners and posters displayed images of Khamenei and his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader. AP reported that Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared during the funeral ceremonies and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.

President Donald Trump warned Iran at the White House on Monday that it could “make a deal or we're going to finish the job.” He said he preferred an agreement because he did not want to affect Iran’s population, while adding that the U.S. could strike bridges and energy supplies.

Iranian authorities have shut streets, airspace and daily life during the mourning period, which began Saturday and is scheduled to end Thursday with Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. He was 86.

This story draws on original reporting from NPR.