A merchant vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday morning, killing one person and injuring three others, according to local Iranian authorities. The attack occurred around 5am off the coasts of Hengam and Qeshm islands, Qeshm city governor Amir Teymouri said, according to state television. Several explosions were reported overnight around Qeshm, the largest island in the strait.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor said a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait and that a fire had broken out, though it was not immediately clear whether the two reports referred to the same incident. Qeshm island, about 22 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas, is strategically vital to Iran's assertion of control over the waterway.
Iran Accuses 'Terrorist Enemy'
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a "terrorist enemy" for Sunday's attack, in an apparent reference to the United States and its allies. There was no immediate comment from the US military, which has repeatedly struck Iranian flagged vessels as part of its blockade of Iranian ports and now faces a new threat from Iranian ballistic missiles launched at its warships.
Washington's campaign of economic and military pressure, referred to by Tehran as "economic warfare" has drawn sharp condemnation from Iranian officials, who describe it as an illegal act of aggression designed to force the Islamic Republic into submission. Iran has made clear that the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that was free and unobstructed before the US-Israeli war began on February 28, will remain closed until Washington ends its blockade and fulfils its obligations.
A Diplomatic Opening in Oman
The deadly incident comes just one day before a historic meeting between Iran and Gulf states in Oman, which also borders the strait, over the blockaded route crucial for global oil and gas trade. The talks, to be held in Salalah and led by Oman, will bring together Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers and their Iranian counterpart to discuss a possible temporary arrangement for securing commercial shipping through the strategic waterway. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to represent Tehran. Bahrain has ruled itself out, saying it will not join a group meeting with Tehran until diplomatic relations are restored.
The proposed arrangement would establish safe passage for vessels through Iranian and Omani waters, according to the Financial Times. Iran and Oman have already reached an understanding on a shipping route through the strait, which Tehran plans to discuss with the Gulf states at Monday's meeting, though the understanding does not provide for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has conveyed seven conditions to the United States through mediators, approved by Iran's top leadership, and the strait will remain closed until Washington meets them. Iran has also approved a mechanism to collect service fees from authorised ships for navigation, environmental, fuelling, insurance, safety and other services it provides.
The Northern Front
On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's Iran aligned Houthi movement on Sunday claimed a major drone and missile attack on a military base in southern Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attack targeted "weapons depots and command and control centres that are managing the aggression against our nation and people" at the Sharurah base near the Yemeni border. The operation came amid intensified fighting between the Houthis and Saudi backed Yemeni government forces, which have been conducting airstrikes in the Taiz and Al-Bayda regions. The Houthis reported that Saudi aircraft conducted 129 airstrikes on areas under their control over the past 48 hours.
The clashes follow a week long Houthi offensive that culminated in the group capturing the remainder of Yemen's Red Sea coast and several strategic islands, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the sea's southern entrance. The waterway has become an important artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports after Iran largely cut off shipments through the Gulf with its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman twice called US President Donald Trump last week to request strikes on the Houthis, but the request was rejected. Trump on Sunday acknowledged speaking to the de facto Saudi leader but said the Houthis had also "called us and they don't want to fight with us".