British Royal Navy: Missile strikes ship off the coast of Oman

A ship was struck by an unidentified projectile off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman on Saturday, causing damage to its engine room and loss of control, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The agency stated in a statement that it received a report of an incident occurring 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima in the Sultanate of Oman. It clarified that the ship was hit by an unidentified projectile, which caused damage to the engine room and loss of control. It added that “no reports of injuries or environmental damage” had been received as a result of the incident. This comes amid a resurgence of attacks on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, following the return of tensions between the United States and Iran about three weeks ago. Previously, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Friday that it had targeted and stopped two ships it claimed had attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz via an “illegal and unsafe” route, while alleging that four oil tankers had quickly changed course and turned back. On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding and entered into negotiations to reach a final agreement, before talks stalled due to disagreements over guarantees for the security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important strategic waterways for global energy supplies and trade. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, which, according to Tehran, resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people, while Iran retaliated with attacks it said killed Americans and Israelis.