An unidentified projectile struck an oil tanker off the coast of Oman early Tuesday, disabling the vessel’s engine room in the latest attack in the U.S.-Iran war over control of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The UKMTO center reported receiving notice of the strike at approximately 12:25 a.m. local time. The unidentified tanker was hit roughly nine nautical miles northeast of Ash Shishah, Oman, sustaining damage to its engine room that left the ship disabled. The crew on board was reported safe, while the UKMTO noted that any potential environmental impact remained unknown immediately following the incident.
The strike occurred as Iran maintains a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy shipping route, following joint U.S.-Israeli attacks that triggered the ongoing war in late February. Neither the UKMTO nor other maritime authorities identified who launched the projectile, and no group or nation has claimed responsibility.
Maritime Traffic and Regional Restrictions
Commercial shipping through the vital conduit has dropped sharply since the conflict began. While President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz and that vessels are transiting the passage—even calling it a “new U.S. territory” over the weekend on his Truth Social platform—independent tracking data tells a different story. According to a maritime tracker maintained by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development cited by UPI, daily transits through the strait have plunged from roughly 140 vessels down to just a handful.
https://x.com/PGSA_IRAN/status/2091594496563646569
Preliminary shipping data from ship tracker Kpler showed that only one commodity vessel—a very large gas carrier entering from the Gulf of Oman—transited the strait on Monday, marking the lowest volume since May 7 and a drop from six vessels of all types on Sunday. The figures remain subject to adjustment as some operators switch off transponders during passage.
Over the weekend, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian government entity established to oversee the Strait of Hormuz, warned that vessels violating its protocols face punitive measures, including restrictions on future passages, financial fines, vessel detention, or outright confiscation.
International Response and Diplomatic Channels
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) reported that over the six-month war, 68 separate incidents have been confirmed in the Gulf and neighboring waters, averaging roughly one incident every 2.6 days. Those events have resulted in at least 20 deaths among seafarers and port workers, 35 injuries, and one missing person, with tankers accounting for about half of the incidents.
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, held discussions with Iran focused on measures to de-escalate the regional conflict and seek a negotiated settlement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement released by the Pakistani military on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the United States continues to exert financial and naval pressure on Tehran. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced new sanctions targeting nearly 60 companies, individuals, and ships, including Singapore-based Wellbred Capital and its associated trading firms in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland. The U.S. Treasury cited the firm’s links to Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. U.S. Central Command reported separately that a naval blockade of Iranian ports, enforced since July 14, has redirected 71 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two others.
