Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack, blaming Iran for attacking one of their tankers while transiting in or near the strait.
Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said Iran was “fully responsible” for the apparently targeted attack on the Al-Rekayyat vessel as it was transiting near the strait.
Qatar posted on
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a separate social media post that Iran targeted the Saudi oil tanker Wadian as it was crossing the strait.
“This attack is an attack on the security and safety of international navigation and the security of global energy supplies,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagei said Qatar’s accusation “goes against the principle of good neighborliness.”
In a statement posted on Telegram, he added that commercial vessels that use routes not coordinated with Iran or manipulate ship tracking face the risk of collisions and hinder Iran’s efforts to “promote safe shipping” in the strait.
The UKMTO said on Monday that an oil tanker transiting the Channel had reported a fire after an unknown projectile struck its engine room.
In two separate incidents Tuesday, one oil tanker reported being struck as it exited the strait but was able to proceed to its next port of call, and another tanker reported suffering minor structural damage after a collision, the organization said.
The US-Iran memorandum of understanding agreed to last month extended the ceasefire period between the two countries.
The 14-point deal says it will end all conflict “on all fronts”, ensure Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons and commit $300 billion (£220 billion) for the country’s “reconstruction and economic development”. However, the United States is not obligated to contribute.
Iran and Oman, which border Hormuz, must hold talks with other Gulf countries “to define future administration and maritime services” in the waterway as part of the agreement.
Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies normally pass, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28.
During the conflict, Iran sought to assert sovereignty over the strait, including by establishing a “Persian Gulf Straits Authority” that would administer “safe passage permits.”
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that under the new agreement with the United States, the strait will ultimately be managed by Iran in cooperation with Oman, including a “service fee” for ships transiting the waterway.
