Istanbul / Anadolu

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Tuesday that an oil tanker was hit by a missile 13 nautical miles southeast of the port of Lima in Oman.

This comes amid a new wave of escalation between the United States and Iran, the broadest yet, which began on Sunday and includes the Strait of Hormuz area, where Washington reimposed a blockade yesterday, Monday.

Following the failure of the first round of negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan, US President Donald Trump announced on April 13 last, the imposition of a naval blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, which was lifted with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides in June last.

The authority said in a statement that the tanker reported being hit by a missile while crossing the southern route of the strait heading outbound, adding that the relevant authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident, without further details.

The authority called on ships transiting the area to exercise extreme caution and immediately report any suspicious activity to the competent authorities.

The authority did not disclose the identity of the tanker or the extent of the damage caused by the attack, nor has any party claimed responsibility for it.

Hours earlier, the authority announced that it had received a report of another incident in which an oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile 40 nautical miles northeast of the port of Qalhat in Oman.

It said the tanker's captain reported damage to the engine room on the starboard side, with no casualties among the crew or environmental impact.

The two incidents come amid rising security tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, after the United States resumed its attacks on Iran in recent days, saying they were in response to Tehran's targeting of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In June 2026, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that included a ceasefire, following Qatari and Pakistani mediation, as a precursor to reaching a final agreement to end the war, before US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 this year the end of the ceasefire amid renewed escalation.