Multiple commercial vessels have come under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting maritime authorities to raise the threat level to severe after at least three tankers were hit in a 24-hour window. A Qatari LNG carrier, the Al Rekayyat, was struck near the strait on July 7, igniting a fire in its engine room. Iran's state television claimed its forces targeted the vessel after it ignored warnings. Qatar condemned the strike as a serious breach of international law.
A Saudi-flagged supertanker, believed to be the Wedyan, was also damaged off Oman's coast, and oil prices climbed on the news. U.S. officials said initial indications pointed to Iran firing on commercial shipping.
The violence follows a fragile truce. The U.S. struck Iranian facilities on June 25 in retaliation for a cargo ship attack blamed on Tehran, and both sides have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire. These are the first reported strikes in the strait since a mourning period for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began. The UK's maritime office logged three separate tanker incidents in the past week.