An Iranian commercial vessel was struck off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with one person killed and four wounded, Iranian state media said. The
incident comes a day before Tehran seeks to brief regional countries on its contested efforts to manage shipping traffic there. State-run media say an Iranian commercial vessel was struck early Sunday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately reported a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait. There was no immediate statement by the US military, which previously has struck Iranian-flagged vessels as it keeps up a blockade of Iranian ports. The US Central Command had recently said that the number of ships redirected while attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports had reached 100.
Qeshm governor blames 'enemy'
State-run IRNA news agency quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a "terrorist enemy." He also said the person killed was among the cargo vessel's 10-member crew, and that authorities had not yet identified the projectile.Qeshm Island, located about 22 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas, is key to Iran asserting control over traffic through the strait.
Hours before the attack, Iran's government remained defiant.
"Our people can't be bullied into submission. Iran won't surrender," President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a US-aimed social media post.
Global oil markets are facing additional pressure as fighting and tensions spread across key shipping routes in the Middle East, with Iran-backed Houthi forces claiming a missile and drone attack on a Saudi military base.
The Houthis have made significant gains along Yemen's western coast in recent days, including capturing the strategic town of Mokha and Perim Island, which sits inside the Bab el-Mandab Strait.
(With agency inputs)
