Strait of Hormuz: Fresh attack on ship fans fears over oil supplies

Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, adding to concerns about Iran-related threats to global energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline.

The British navy-affiliated agency UKMTO said it had a report of a projectile hitting a vessel as it moved through the strait. The crew were evacuated by local authorities after a fire broke out following the attack, the agency said.

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UKMTO’s report came the day after Saudi Arabia said it had temporarily closed its East-West pipeline as a precaution after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate, reports Reuters.

Iranian authorities said a ship was struck in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, killing one person and injuring three.

“A merchant vessel was struck around 5:00am (0130 GMT) this morning off the coasts of Hengam and Qeshm islands. One person was killed and three others were injured,” Qeshm city governor Amir Teymouri said, according to state TV, without specifying the origin of the strike.

Several explosions were reported overnight around Qeshm, the largest island in the Hormuz strait.

Meanwhile, Houthi fighters yesterday said they used drones and missiles to attack a military base in southern Saudi Arabia as renewed fighting with Yemen’s government forces forced growing numbers of civilians to flee, reports AFP.

The attack at the southern Sharurah base targeted “weapons depots and command and control centres that are managing the aggression against our nation and people”, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on X. Saudi Civil Defence has said that two people were wounded in southern Jazan region.

In an interview with India Today, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran never started the war, but merely defended itself against US and Israeli aggression, Press TV reports.

Pezeshkian also said that Tehran had “no problem” with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a separate development, Iraqi authorities yesterday announced a timeline to reopen three crossings with Iran, a day after closing them following a drone attack originating from their shared border on a Saudi pipeline.

After the Friday night attack on the East-West pipeline, Baghdad sacked the military commander in Missan province near the Iran border, after authorities determined the drones were launched from there.

US President Donald Trump reiterated yesterday that he expected the Iran war to end this year, possibly just after midterm elections due in the United States in November, resulting in a drop in oil prices.

“Iran will end right after - maybe before - but it’ll end right after the midterms. Gasoline’s going to drop like a rock,” Trump told reporters at the Irish Open golf championship.