Ships hit by projectiles and mines in Gulf waters

Maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf faces renewed threats as vessels are struck by projectiles and mines in separate incidents.

The conflict in the Middle East has intensified since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February of this year. Tehran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that handled roughly 20 percent of global oil supply during peacetime. The closure has disrupted shipping routes and raised concerns about regional stability.

On Wednesday, the British military confirmed that a tanker was struck by two projectiles 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal in Qatar. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center did not identify the ship or its flag. Crew status and the extent of damage remain unconfirmed. The center noted last month that it struggles to track the true number of attacks because many ships now avoid reporting incidents.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on Thursday that two oil tankers and a towboat struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The report, which cited the Revolutionary Guard, said the vessels caught fire. The Guard also claimed to have seized two U.S. drones in the airspace over the strait. These claims have not been independently verified. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with his Omani counterpart, Badr al-Busaidi, to discuss practical and technical steps for resuming navigation through the strait.

In South Korea, the Defense Ministry proposed expanding the operational area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit. The plan would extend the unit’s reach to waters south of Oman, near the port of Duqm, which is more than 650 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz. Spokesperson Chung Binna stated that the expansion would not directly involve South Korea in the war with Iran. The changes require approval from President Lee Jae Myung and the national legislature.

In Jordan, authorities described a terrorist act in Amman on Thursday when an assailant killed a security officer near the Sri Lankan Embassy. The attacker used a sharp object and was arrested after attempting to seize the officer’s weapon. A second officer intervened, sustaining injuries in the process. This incident follows a shooting at a church funeral in southern Jordan weeks earlier that killed nine people.

In Israel, President Isaac Herzog continued meetings with political parties to determine who will receive the mandate to form the next coalition government. The ultra-orthodox party United Torah Judaism declined to recommend either Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot is not guaranteed victory and faces a lengthy negotiation process to secure a majority.