By Jack Phillips
Contributing Writer
The United Kingdom’s military said three tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, as Tehran continues to hold funeral services for its former top leader, Ali Khamenei.
A third ship was hit by a drone in the critical oil-shipping waterway, where two other tankers had been attacked earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said in an online statement. The vessels were off the coast of Oman in different locations.
The UKMTO did not provide more details about the names of the ships. It also did not say what country launched the attacks.
The third ship sustained minor damage, with no one injured, and continued on its way, the UKMTO said. The other two are suspected of being damaged, with no casualties reported.
The UKMTO added that vessels should exercise caution when transiting the waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to the wider ocean.
Iranian state television reported on one of the attacks, saying a liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings, while Iran did not directly claim responsibility. Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, and is suspected of attacking other ships that have tried to transit the strait close to the Omani shore.
Iran has launched attacks on vessels in the strait since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. A key waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s traded oil is shipped, the strait was effectively shut down by Iran throughout the war, sending prices for oil and gas skyrocketing in mid-May.
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 and later charge fees, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.
The U.S. government and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging tolls. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore earlier sparked attacks across the Middle East.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran appear to be on hold until Khamenei’s burial is finished. Khamenei was killed during initial airstrikes by the United States and Israel in February, while Tehran named his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor.
However, the younger Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking leadership and has not appeared at the funeral processions. U.S. officials have said he is believed to have been wounded in the strike that killed his father.
During the height of the war, Israel and the United States struck top Iranian leaders, killing dozens of them before a ceasefire was announced between Washington and Tehran in mid-April.
The U.S. government has said that it wants Iran to fully reopen the Strait, roll back Tehran’s controversial nuclear program, hand over enriched uranium to the United States or dilute the material, and reach a permanent end to the conflict.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
