Tanker struck and LNG carrier attacked in Persian Gulf amid Iran war

· Shipping · Iran · Pakistan

A tanker was hit by two unidentified projectiles in the Persian Gulf late Sunday, the latest in a series of attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz during the eight-month US-Iran war. Separately, the LNG carrier Al Mayeda was attacked near Hormuz on Friday even though Pakistan had negotiated safe passage for the vessel with Iran, according to Bloomberg. Iran said on Monday that contacts with the United States to end the war are continuing after days of talks with Qatari mediators ended with altered proposals but no breakthrough. Analysts describe the Hormuz risk as becoming permanent, driven by Iran's harassing fire, while the threat of a wider renewed war stems from elsewhere. The attacks show that negotiated safe passage and diplomatic contacts have not protected commercial vessels in the region.

Why it matters：Attacks that defeat negotiated safe passage raise insurance, crewing and rerouting costs for all operators using the Gulf, and signal that energy shipping risk is becoming structural rather than episodic.

Key points

  • A tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles in the Persian Gulf on Sunday night.
  • Pakistan negotiated safe passage with Iran for the LNG carrier Al Mayeda before it was attacked near Hormuz.
  • Iran says contacts with the US continue after Qatari-mediated talks ended without a breakthrough.

Sources (original reporting)

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