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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on Thursday that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported among its crew.
In a warning classified as an "attack," the authority stated that it had received a report from the company security officer of the tanker involved regarding it being struck by an unknown projectile, without specifying whether it was an oil or gas tanker.
It clarified that the incident occurred at 16:00 GMT while the tanker was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
It confirmed that no injuries were recorded among the crew, while information regarding environmental damage was not immediately available.
The authority did not identify the name or nationality of the tanker, nor the source of the projectile, nor did it clarify the extent of the material damage resulting from the incident; meanwhile, no party has claimed responsibility for it.
The authority called on vessels transiting the strait to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity, noting that authorities are continuing their investigation.
Earlier on Thursday, the authority reported a major fire on board a dhow at 03:00 GMT, 9 nautical miles north of the Omani city of Khasab.
It explained at the time that the fire caused the vessel to list and sink, while local authorities confirmed that all crew members were evacuated safely.
According to the authority's data, the crew of the sunken vessel survived, and no injuries were recorded among the tanker's crew, while sufficient information regarding the environmental damage of the two incidents was not available.
The authority did not identify the parties responsible for the two incidents.
This comes in light of escalating security risks to navigation in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and surrounding waterways in recent months, with a series of attacks and incidents targeting commercial vessels recorded.
The events coincide with ongoing tension between Iran and the United States regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important strategic corridors for energy and goods supplies in the world, and one of the key files in negotiations between the two sides.
The war began with attacks launched by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28, before reaching a ceasefire last April, then confrontations between Washington and Tehran renewed in July in light of stalled negotiations, despite the two parties signing a memorandum of understanding in mid-June.
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