Tanker set ablaze after being struck by projectile in the Strait of Hormuz

Source: Politico

07/06/2026 09:50 PM EDT


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A tanker traveling off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz caught on fire early Tuesday morning after being struck by a projectile, the British military said.

The attack was the latest targeting a vessel moving through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime. Suspicion over the attack immediately fell on Iran, which is suspected of attacking other ships using a route close to the Omani shore despite warnings from Tehran to ships that only their route was safe in the waterway.

The U.S. is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb. 28. But previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the U.S., which then saw Iran attack Gulf Arab states — raising the risk of an escalation.

Talks between Iran and the U.S., meanwhile, appear to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war. Signs have been increasing that mourners at his funeral were calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/tanker-set-ablaze-after-being-struck-by-projectile-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-off-the-coast-of-oman-00988459