An Iranian cargo vessel was struck near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, killing one person and injuring four, Iranian state media reported. Iran’s Qeshm governor blamed what he called a “terrorist enemy”, but the supplied report did not identify who carried out the attack.
The incident came as threats to commercial shipping intensified around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately said a vessel had been hit by a projectile while transiting Hormuz, causing a severe fire and prompting local authorities to evacuate people on board. It was unclear whether that report referred to the Iranian vessel.
Iran had planned to meet regional foreign ministers in Oman to discuss management of shipping through Hormuz. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the meeting was postponed “in the interests of consensus”. An Iranian foreign ministry official said the delay followed a request from some regional countries.
A Gulf official told France 24 that Saudi Arabia had submitted amendments to the Iran-Oman agreement. The official said Riyadh was concerned the proposed arrangement could have lasting consequences for the Strait of Hormuz and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The official was not authorised to comment publicly.
Commercial traffic through the strait remained low as attacks continued. Iran has said ships entering the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while outbound routes would use waters belonging to both Iran and Oman. Before the postponement, Iraq was the only country to publicly confirm plans to attend, while Bahrain said it would not participate because it lacked diplomatic relations with Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country would not surrender and later reported a “good talk” with a senior United Arab Emirates official. The United States has been helping guide some ships along Oman’s coast, according to the report, while President Donald Trump declined to say whether US forces had struck the Iranian vessel.