The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile on its port side, resulting in a fire, approximately 8 nautical miles east of Oman's Limah while the vessel was traveling southbound. No casualties or environmental impact have been reported, according to the agency's post on X on Tuesday.
Investigation and Advisory
Authorities are investigating the incident. The UKMTO has advised vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to the agency.
Iranian Criticism of Germany
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the region. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Tuesday sharply criticized Germany over remarks by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Berlin of complicity in military aggression against Iran. In a post on X, Baghaei described Wadephul's comments as "utterly shameful" and alleged that Germany bore responsibility for supporting actions against Iran.
"The German Foreign Minister's rhetoric on the Strait of Hormuz is utterly shameful -- a grotesque distortion of reality that reeks of Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust," Baghaei said.
His remarks came after German FM Wadephul on Monday said that Iran should bear the cost of clearing mines from international shipping routes, accusing Tehran of unlawfully laying mines in a key maritime corridor, as reported by Al Jazeera. "We do not need to offer Tehran anything at all; quite the contrary: Iran has unlawfully mined an international shipping lane," Wadephul had told a newspaper.
Iran's Stance on Strait of Hormuz
Earlier, on July 4, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned that the Strait of Hormuz is not a theatre for the military display of extra-regional powers. Reacting to a joint statement by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on the Strait of Hormuz, Gharibabadi said that crisis-makers will be held accountable. In a post on X, he stated: "The Strait of Hormuz is not a theatre for the military display of extra-regional powers. Iran, as the responsible power and guarantor of the Strait's security, warns with sensitivity to any military movement in this waterway. The security of Hormuz lies with the coastal states; the crisis-makers will be held accountable for the consequences of their adventurism; this is a serious warning."
The joint statement noted that Oman agreed to work with the United Kingdom and France to ensure that its sovereign territorial waters are safe for navigation. "The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for the global economy. Restoring safe transit for ships of all nations through the Strait is a matter of global concern. The Sultanate of Oman has agreed to work with the United Kingdom and France to ensure that its sovereign territorial waters are safe for navigation," the statement read.
Iran Rejects US-led Summit
On July 2, Iran strongly criticized the US-led regional security summit in Bahrain, rejecting Western attempts to allegedly dictate security frameworks in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, Gharibabadi dismissed both the legitimacy of the military summit and the authority of the American command structure in the region, asserting that "Hormuz is defined under Iran's command, not CENTCOM." He maintained that a military summit in Bahrain cannot establish "legal order and security for the Persian Gulf."
