Two projectiles hit tanker off Oman, maritime body says

Two unidentified projectiles struck a tanker’s engine room about 14 nautical miles (26km) northeast of Limah, Oman, on 3 November, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. No casualties were reported, Al Jazeera said. The strike came during indirect US-Iran talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The reports do not identify the tanker or its operator or specify the vessel’s operational status. A Clearwater Dynamics alert relaying the UKMTO report said no environmental impact had been reported at the time. It said the vessel’s company security officer had made the report.

Strikes and talks

US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US struck Iran early on 3 November, saying the target was an anti-aircraft facility. Iranian media said the strikes hit Qeshm Island near the strait.

The indirect talks center on an Iranian proposal to reopen the waterway over two days if the US meets seven demands, including lifting sanctions and ending a US naval blockade. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said talks were continuing and that Qatar was facilitating an exchange of proposals.

Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four tankers had struck mines and caught fire and that its forces had seized two other vessels. Al Jazeera said those claims could not be independently verified or linked to the tanker incident reported by UKMTO.

Authorities are investigating the tanker incident, and vessels have been advised to transit with caution, the Clearwater Dynamics alert said.