WSJ: Iran launched attacks on ships at Strait of Hormuz

Against the background of the truce, the forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked ships with two missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a senior American official, as well as Axios, citing two US officials. The attack on a tanker near Oman is also reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations Directorate (UKMTO).

"UKMTO received a report of an incident 8 nautical miles east of Limah, Oman. There were reports that the tanker was hit by an unknown projectile from the port side, which caused a fire while the vessel was moving in a southerly direction. No casualties or environmental impacts have been reported. The authorities are investigating," the British center said in a statement on the social network X.

According to the WSJ, one of the attacked vessels appears to be the tanker Al Rekayyat, which belongs to the Qatari company Nakilat. According to intercepted radio messages, the ship was hit from the port side in the upper part of the engine room, which caused a fire and smoke. The entire crew is safe and gathered on the starboard side. The incident occurred in The Gulf of Oman at the entrance to The Strait of Hormuz. Since June 18, the vessel has not transmitted GPS signals, the newspaper said.

According to Axios, the two ships attacked by Iran suffered damage, but did not suffer significantly, an American official said. Reports of the attacks threaten to derail the memorandum of understanding signed less than three weeks ago, under which Iran agreed to stop attacks in The Strait of Hormuz, the newspaper notes.

The parties signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18. It assumes a ceasefire for two months, and also opens the way to negotiations on a more comprehensive deal.

At the same time, the parties have already exchanged blows against the background of a truce. Two nights in a row, on June 27 and 28, the United States attacked targets in Iran. The US Central Command explained this as a response to Iranian aggression against commercial vessels in The Strait of Hormuz. In response, the IRGC announced the start of an operation against American facilities in Arab countries.