An Iranian cargo vessel was struck off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday, killing one crew member and wounding four others, Iranian state media said, as efforts to discuss the management of shipping in the waterway were delayed.
The attack happened early in the morning local time near Qeshm Island, about 14 miles from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The person killed was among the vessel's 10-member crew, according to Iranian state media. IRNA, Iran's state-run news agency, quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a 'terrorist enemy' for the attack.
Authorities had yet to identify the projectile that struck the Iranian cargo vessel. The US has not commented on the reported attack. Asked whether the U.S. had struck the vessel early Sunday, President Donald Trump said: 'I don't want to say'.
Trump also said Iran 'wants to make a deal so bad' that 'they're calling constantly'. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said: 'Our people can't be bullied into submission. Iran won't surrender'. He added: 'The waterway would be opened up on the condition that the US will terminate its blockade.'
In a separate incident, the MT El Gaia, a Panamanian-flagged vessel with 14 Indian crew members, was the subject of search and rescue operations. Thirteen crew members had been rescued, while operations for the missing Indian national were continuing.
Iran's military said the MT El Gaia had hit a sea mine while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to Iranian state media. US Central Command branded that account as 'false' and said the vessel had been struck by an Iranian drone over the weekend.
A separate incident was reported late Saturday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said another vessel was hit by an unknown projectile in the strait. A fire broke out aboard that vessel, and local authorities were evacuating people on board. The operator of the vessel and the extent of the damage had not been identified.
The attacks came before a planned meeting in Oman on Monday between top diplomats from Gulf Arab states and Iran's foreign minister. The talks were expected to address the management of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, said late Sunday on X that the meeting had been postponed 'in the interests of consensus'. Bahrain said it would not attend. No reason was given for Bahrain's decision, and it was unclear which regional countries had sought the postponement.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains about 90% below pre-conflict levels. Before the war, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the waterway every day.
Pressure on regional shipping routes has also extended beyond the strait. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi military base in the Sharurah region. The group captured Perim Island last week at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia said Saturday that it had temporarily closed its East-West pipeline as a precaution after a drone attack. The incidents have left the circumstances of the vessel strikes unresolved while discussions over maritime access have been put off.
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