Oil tanker hit in Hormuz as Pak mediates Iran war

An oil tanker was hit with a projectile off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report on Tuesday that highlighted the ongoing dangers for shipping companies attempting to use the waterway while Iran holds it in firm control.

The attack came as a high-level delegation from Pakistan, which has been a main mediator between the United States and Iran, was wrapping up meetings in Tehran with the goal of bringing a negotiated end to the nearly six-month-old war. The oil tanker was hit Monday night a few miles off the east coast of Oman, according to a report Tuesday from the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation. 

The unknown projectile hit the engine of the ship and disabled it, but all crew have been reported safe, the UKMTO said. There were no immediate reports of any environmental impact from the attack, but oil spills from other ships damaged during the war have caused growing concerns about ecological damage.

About a fifth of the world’s traded oil was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz freely before the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28. Iran now has a stranglehold on the shipping traffic through the strait and periodically fires at vessels attempting to transit, though there was no immediate claim for Monday’s attack.

The US is also operating a blockade of Iranian ports and has fired on vessels. A delegation from Pakistan led by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir departed Tehran on Tuesday after talks with Iran’s president and other senior officials on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving stalled negotiations to end the Iran-US conflict, the Pakistani military said.

Pakistan has sought to mediate a resolution between Iran and the US, maintaining contacts with officials in both countries and urging them to resolve their differences.