Iran's military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, two U.S. officials said.
The reported attacks threaten to unravel a memorandum of understanding signed less than three weeks ago under which Iran agreed to halt attacks in the strait, and they come after a one-week agreement between the U.S. and Iran on halting attacks in the strait expired.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said Monday that it had received a report from a tanker traveling south near Oman along the Strait of Hormuz coast that had been struck by an unknown projectile, causing a fire. A U.S. official said a second commercial vessel had been struck by an Iranian missile and that both vessels suffered significant damage but no casualties.
The U.S. is likely to retaliate with strikes against Iranian targets.
A round of indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran in Doha, Qatar, last week ended without much progress on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the projectile hit the tanker near Limah, Oman, striking the port side as the vessel tried to travel south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman. The British military said the tanker caught fire early Tuesday morning, and authorities said there was no environmental impact and they were investigating.
Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim responsibility, and it implied the vessel was carrying natural gas from Qatar. The state broadcaster, quoting anonymous sources, implied Tehran carried out the assault, but there has been no official claim from the Islamic Republic.
Talks between the U.S. and Iran appear to be on hold until after the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who state media said was killed at the beginning of the war. Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honored him, and state television aired images of hundreds of thousands walking to Jamkaran Mosque. State media said Khamenei was 86 and that mourning will conclude Thursday with burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. Images displayed Khamenei and his son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
Iran's joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes and that interference by U.S. forces "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction," state media reported. As part of an interim deal, Iran and the U.S. agreed to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days, but Tehran said it must control routes and later charge fees for passage, a proposal the U.S. and many Gulf Arab states have rejected. The data firm Kpler reported that at least 108 ships crossed the strait over the last weekend using various routes.
At the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump warned Iran that "we're going to finish the job" if a deal is not reached, and said, "We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply." He added that he would "rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people."
Sources said a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker believed to be the supertanker Wedyan was damaged off Oman's coast; the vessel is owned and managed by Saudi shipping firm Bahri.
If confirmed, the Wedyan would be the second ship to sustain damage in the region on Tuesday.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tuesday that Tehran will not resume negotiations if threats continue, and urged leaders to "Honor your signature," citing the memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June that calls for both sides to "refrain from the threat or use of force against each other."
Mourners at funeral services have increasingly called for Khamenei's death to be avenged, holding signs and chanting for the killing of both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We are here to show that his path will continue, and every single one of these people will continue down his path with clenched fists, and soon we will certainly avenge his death against the U.S and Israel," said mourner Sahar Zaraatgar.