A Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker sustained damage near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to maritime security sources and shipping data. The Qatari vessel, the Al-Ruqayyat, reported a fire in its engine room after a projectile struck its port side, prompting a distress call and the evacuation of its crew. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed the incident and later reported a separate drone strike on another tanker in the same area, causing minor structural damage. US officials, cited by the news site Axios, said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired at least two missiles at commercial ships overnight, resulting in significant damage but no casualties.

Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on its LNG carrier as an “unacceptable aggression” and held Iran fully responsible, demanding an immediate halt to actions that threaten regional security and freedom of navigation. Iranian state television, without claiming responsibility, linked the incident to the vessel’s failure to heed warnings about designated transit routes. Tehran has issued no official statement. The Saudi-flagged tanker, believed to be the very large crude carrier Wadiyan, was damaged off the coast of Oman; the cause was not immediately confirmed. Viewed from Washington, the strikes represent a direct challenge to the fragile ceasefire and the US-led maritime security framework.

The attacks test the 60-day truce and indirect US-Iran talks that began in June. Since a framework agreement on 17 June allowed the resumption of navigation, Iran has insisted that vessels use a route along its coastline, threatening those that opt for a corridor near Oman that is supported by the US Navy. The Qatari carrier was reportedly using that Omani route when it was hit. This dynamic places Qatar, which has mediated the talks, in a difficult position, while also raising the risk of a broader military response. President Trump stated on Monday that the US would either reach a deal with Iran or “finish the job”; Iran’s foreign minister responded that negotiations cannot proceed under American threats.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies normally pass, has been a flashpoint since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Iran closed the waterway in March, and although the June accord eased tensions, sporadic attacks have persisted. In late June, the US bombed Iran after accusing it of targeting two vessels, and Iran retaliated against Kuwait and Bahrain. Now, with NATO foreign ministers meeting in Ankara to discuss a French-British proposal for a multinational maritime mission, and with Japanese-linked tankers beginning to move stranded crude out of the Gulf, the security of the strait remains unresolved. The next steps are expected to include further diplomatic pressure and potential military coordination among Western and Gulf states.