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An oil tanker caught fire off the coast of Oman on Monday night after colliding with a car “Unidentified Projectile” in Hormuz Riveraccording to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Separately citing two unnamed US officials, the Axios article reported this Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired at least two missiles at commercial ships passing through the river on Monday night. The report added that two ships were badly damaged but there were no casualties. It is not known if one of the vessels is the same as the one reported by the UKMTO.
Reports of the attack on the naval vessels in the crisis come as peace talks continue between the United States and Iran to end their war, which began on February 28.
One of the most important issues in the negotiations is the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed to shipping after the US-Israeli strike.
The attack also comes within days of mourning for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, the first day of the war.
Here is a closer look at what has happened in the Strait of Hormuz, and whether this could disturb the peace.
What has happened in the Strait of Hormuz?
The UKMTO said early on Tuesday that the tanker had been hit by a “projectile” on its port side while traveling south about 8 nautical miles (15km) off the coast of Limah in Oman, causing a fire.
Iranian television reported that the LNG tanker was attacked after it ignored warnings, but Tehran did not say it had been hit. Neither the US Central Command (CENTCOM) nor the IRGC have commented on the matter.
However, three anonymous sources told the Reuters news agency that the ship was a Qatari tanker called Al Rekayyat, carrying natural gas (LNG), and that the crew was safe. The ship sent out distress signals when it hit. However, it could be at risk of exploding due to a fire in its engine room, another source briefed on the incident told Reuters.
A second ship believed to be a Saudi-flagged oil tanker was also damaged in the Strait of Hormuz when the IRGC fired missiles, sources told Reuters.
Hossein Royvaran, a Tehran-based analyst, told Al Jazeera that the Qatari submarine might have been targeted because it strayed into the area where Iranian teams were playing. demining operations.
Royvaran said: “The area near Oman must have mines.
“There is a possibility that the ships went to where the Iranian forces in the area are clearing mines, and the movement of the ships would have threatened the groups.”
In April, the IRGC released a map showing a safe route through the road for vehicles it approved. Although it did not confirm the presence of mines in the strait, it said its official strategy – which diverts ships closer to its coast – would avoid any mines.
How is the Strait now?
Data tracking company Kpler reported in X post on Monday that traffic in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend showed “resilience” with 108 confirmed crossings.
There were 43 trips on July 3, 34 on July 4 and 31 on July 5, he said.
Before the war, about 120-140 ships passed through the river every day, about half of which were oil tankers that moved about 20 million barrels a day. At the height of the US-Israel war on Iran, traffic through the waterway dropped to two tanks a day.
The narrow waterway connecting Gulf oil producers with the open sea, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas was shipped before the war, has been the focus of peace talks.
Since the beginning of March, Iran has banned shipping, sometimes allowing ships from only selected countries, which require negotiations with the IRGC, while others reportedly pay up to $2m per ship during the war. The US reimposed its maritime blockade on Iranian ports, including those in the Gulf, in June.
Even after the initial US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) was announced on June 14, only seven ships crossed the river in the following four days, according to the tracker MarineTraffic.
The MoU also stated that the route would be free for all shippers for at least 60 days. But the uncertainty in its vague wording regarding other challenges and issues, such as Israel’s attack on Lebanon, and the lack of clarity about mines along the route, made shippers skeptical, experts say.
What do the latest trade threats mean for negotiations?
Experts say that although the agreement between the US and Iran has eased tensions between the two parties, the lack of clarity regarding what they are offering on the issue is problematic.
The fighting was suspended under an MoU signed last month, which gave 60 days to negotiate a permanent deal. However, indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of a lasting peace.
One issue is whether Iran will impose tariffs on ships it uses in the future, which the US strongly denies.
“The decision to impose environmental or labor charges, perhaps with Oman, shows Iran’s attempt to turn its control over half of the crisis into a lasting influence,” Mohsen Milani, a professor of politics at the University of South Florida, told Al Jazeera.
Milani added that Iran is using the Hormuz missile to strengthen its negotiating power.
“Washington, on the other hand, wants to block any plan that expands Iranian control under the principle of freedom of navigation,” Milani, author of Iran Rise and Rivalry with the US in the Middle East, said.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume bombing if Iran doesn’t make a deal, as recently as Monday when he told reporters in the Oval Office: “We’re going to make a deal or we’re going to end the job. Fine. And it’s not going to be hard to get the job done. I’ve got to make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people.”
“We can destroy their bridges in an hour, we can take out their power.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said such threats violate the terms of the MoU.
He said recent funeral service for the late great leader has shown the unity of Iranians.
“Millions of proud Iranians gathered together to honor Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and his legacy. Neither they nor our brave soldiers are affected by any threats,” he wrote below a photo of a large crowd of mourners.
“Negotiations on a Final Deal cannot begin if threats continue,” he wrote. “Respect your signature.”
