Iranian missiles strike commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz

Iranian missiles struck at least two commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the vessels but causing no casualties and putting fresh pressure on a fragile cease-fire between Washington and Tehran.

A U.S. official said the two ships suffered significant damage after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired at least two missiles at commercial traffic in the waterway on Monday night. There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials. One of the vessels was identified by Reuters sources and other reports as the Al Rekayyat, a Qatari LNG tanker owned and managed by Nakilat, Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd.

UK Maritime Trade Operations said a separate tanker was hit by an unknown projectile east of Limah, Oman, about 8 nautical miles east of the coast, and caught fire while traveling southbound. The agency said there were no reports of casualties or environmental damage and advised vessels to transit with caution.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the most exposed artery in the Persian Gulf, a narrow passage through which roughly a fifth of global oil and natural gas trade once moved in peacetime. That makes even limited attacks on commercial shipping a direct threat to crude flows, LNG exports and the rates charged to move them.

The strikes follow earlier June attacks on shipping in the strait that triggered U.S. military retaliation against Iranian targets and exposed how little room remained for error under the cease-fire. With commercial traffic already vulnerable, another round of missile fire could force insurers to reprice risk quickly, push freight costs higher and make tanker operators hesitate before sending vessels through one of the world’s most closely watched chokepoints.

For Qatar, any damage to an LNG carrier is especially sensitive because its gas shipments move through the same corridor used by crude tankers heading in and out of the Gulf. For shipping companies and energy traders, the immediate question is whether Monday night’s hits were isolated violations or the start of a broader unraveling that could disrupt a route central to global oil and gas supplies.