A commercial liquefied natural gas tanker caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Limah, Oman, early Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that the vessel was struck on its port side while traveling south.
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The impact ignited a fire, but no casualties or environmental damage were reported.
US officials said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at commercial ships in the strategic waterway, according to The Wall Street Journal and Axios.
Iranian state television implied Tehran carried out the assault, alleging the Qatari natural gas vessel ignored warnings. No official claim of responsibility was issued.
The incident occurred as Iran observed a multi-day funeral for its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike in February.
Maritime traffic remained steady but highly vigilant, with MarineTraffic recording 108 vessels transiting the strait over the weekend despite recent Iranian threats to block specific routes.
Trump Comments on Iran Tensions
Before departing for a NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump addressed reporters at the White House.
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He said, "Make a deal or we're going to finish the job."
Trump expanded on his preference for a diplomatic resolution while highlighting potential military action.
"I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," he said.
He underscored the immediate impact the US military could inflict on Iranian infrastructure if negotiations failed. "We can knock down their bridges in one hour.
We can knock out their energy supply," Trump said.
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media that threats would halt any diplomatic progress under the current memorandum of understanding.
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"Will not commence if threats continue," he warned.
