A tanker leaving the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile at about 3:30 p.m. Iran time on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO), in security advisory No. 164-26, said the projectile struck the ship's port side and damaged its hull.
According to Voice of America, UKMTO said all crew members are safe and no environmental pollution has been reported so far. The tanker's name, the type of projectile and who carried out the attack have not yet been announced, and investigations are continuing. The body urged ships to transit the strait with caution and to report any suspicious activity.
Second attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in two days
Sunday's attack came a day after a similar incident in which an outbound tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile and caught fire. On Saturday night the Revolutionary Guards' navy had claimed that a supertanker, which it said was transiting by an "unauthorized" route with its navigation systems switched off, had struck a mine. The IRGC had warned that any tanker that ignores the rules the Islamic Republic wants in the strait could meet the same fate.
According to Al Jazeera, the United Arab Emirates also said its coast guard had rescued 22 crew members of an unnamed tanker after a fire near the UAE coast; the UAE did not state the cause of the fire. Late Saturday night, the masters of ships anchored near Ras al-Khaimah were also told by radio to leave their anchorage.
Attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz continue while efforts to end the war have stalled.
Naval blockade and negotiation deadlock
According to Al Jazeera, at least 12 ships were attacked in the week ending 5 October, the highest weekly number since the start of the war. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that since the naval blockade was reimposed in mid-July, its forces have disabled four commercial ships, turned back 135 ships and destroyed 10 tankers linked to the Islamic Republic. On Sunday morning CENTCOM also released images of the disabling of a Panama-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.
Based on Kpler data cited by CNBC, average crude oil transit through the strait in the week ending 7 October was about 8.5 million barrels a day, nearly 40 percent below normal. Meanwhile Habibollah Sayyari, a senior commander of the Islamic Republic's army, threatened that any new action against the Islamic Republic would see the other side's ships targeted again.
According to Al Jazeera, messages are still being exchanged through intermediaries, but no progress is expected in the coming weeks. US Vice President JD Vance said last week that a real reduction in enrichment capacity is the condition for ending the war.
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