Tanker set ablaze after being struck by projectile in the Strait of Hormuz
✓Mourners attend the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption
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Vahid Salemi/AP
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. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
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.
Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom overnight, where mourners honored him Tuesday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker had been hit near Limah, Oman, in the strait. The UKMTO said the projectile hit the port side of the vessel while trying to traveling south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.
It said there was no environmental impact from the strike and that authorities were investigating.
Iranian state TV, quoting anonymous sources, implied Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar. However, there's been no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.
Iran's joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes. It also said that interference by U.S. forces in the strait "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction."
Trump on Monday at the White House warned Iran that they'd "make a deal or we're going to finish the job."
"I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump said. "We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply."
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.
The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won't agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman's shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast, highlighting the tensions.
The data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108 ships crossed through the strait using various routes.
Iranian state television early Tuesday aired live images from a helicopter of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for a funeral service for Khamenei. The mosque is believed by Shiites to have once hosted the Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and will one day reappear to bring justice to the world.
Images of Khamenei and his son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners and posters held by mourners. Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel targeted top Iranian leaders, in at least one case likely using their public appearances to fix their position. It has also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.
Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began Saturday and will end Thursday as Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. Khamenei was 86.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
A tanker traveling through the Strait of Hormuz near Oman's coast caught fire after being struck by a projectile early Tuesday, according to British military reports. Iranian state television suggested Tehran carried out the strike on a Qatari natural gas vessel that allegedly ignored warnings, though the Islamic Republic has not officially claimed responsibility. The incident reflects ongoing tensions over strait passage. Iran has mandated vessels use its approved routes and threatened response to U.S. involvement. The U.S. and regional states oppose Iran's proposal to charge transit fees, a departure from decades of practice. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran are on hold during Iran's funeral observances for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in February. Despite tensions, at least 108 ships crossed the strait using various routes over the weekend.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
Mourners attend the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 6, 2026. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Vahid Salemi/AP
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. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
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.
Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom overnight, where mourners honored him Tuesday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker had been hit near Limah, Oman, in the strait. The UKMTO said the projectile hit the port side of the vessel while trying to traveling south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.
It said there was no environmental impact from the strike and that authorities were investigating.
Iranian state TV, quoting anonymous sources, implied Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar. However, there's been no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.
Iran's joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes. It also said that interference by U.S. forces in the strait "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction."
Trump on Monday at the White House warned Iran that they'd "make a deal or we're going to finish the job."
"I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump said. "We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply."
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.
The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won't agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman's shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast, highlighting the tensions.
The data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108 ships crossed through the strait using various routes.
Iranian state television early Tuesday aired live images from a helicopter of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for a funeral service for Khamenei. The mosque is believed by Shiites to have once hosted the Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and will one day reappear to bring justice to the world.
Images of Khamenei and his son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners and posters held by mourners. Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel targeted top Iranian leaders, in at least one case likely using their public appearances to fix their position. It has also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.
Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began Saturday and will end Thursday as Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. Khamenei was 86.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
A tanker traveling off Oman's coast in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire early Tuesday after being struck by a projectile, according to the British military. The tanker was hit near Limah, Oman, on the port side while traveling south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state television quoted anonymous sources implying Tehran carried out the assault on a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker that allegedly ignored warnings. There has been no official claim of responsibility from the Islamic Republic. The strike caused no environmental impact, according to authorities investigating the incident. Iran's joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers must use approved routes and that U.S. interference will be met with rapid response. Iran and the U.S. agreed to allow ships to pass without charges for 60 days, but Tehran insisted it must control vessel routes and later charge fees. The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a U.N. agency to launch a new route near Oman's shore sparked attacks across the region, highlighting tensions. At least 108 ships crossed the strait using various routes over the last weekend. Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. appear to be on hold until after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's burial. Khamenei was killed at the beginning of the war launched February 28 and was 86 years old. Mourners at Khamenei's funeral were calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump. Khamenei's body was flown to Qom overnight for funeral services at Jamkaran Mosque, with burial expected at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
- A tanker was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, catching fire near Oman; the British military confirmed the incident.
- Iranian state television implied Tehran carried out the attack on a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker but made no official claim of responsibility.
- Iran has warned all vessels to use approved routes through the strait and has threatened rapid response to U.S. interference; the U.S. and Gulf Arab states reject Iran's demand to charge passage fees.
- Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. appear paused pending the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the war's start on February 28.
- Over 108 ships crossed the strait using various routes over the last weekend despite tensions and competing route demands.