Iran Renews Strikes on Shipping in Strait of Hormuz

Renewed Attacks Target Tankers Near Musandam Peninsula

Iran’s military has again fired on merchant vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by The Maritime Executive citing multiple maritime security sources. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile late Monday night, at roughly 2100 UTC, east of the Musandam Peninsula near the small port of Limah. UKMTO has not disclosed the vessel’s identity.

Security consultancy Vanguard Tech reported that the strike caused a fire aboard the vessel, which was later extinguished. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB acknowledged the attack, claiming it followed “repeated warnings” to the ship. Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group identified the vessel as the laden LNG carrier Al Rekayyat (IMO 9397339), a report Bloomberg says it corroborated with several shipping industry sources.

LNG Cargo Risk and a Possible Second Strike

Attacks on LNG carriers carry a distinct danger: if a munition penetrates a cargo tank, the result can be a catastrophic fire. That scenario reportedly occurred earlier this year in a strike on the LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz, though such events remain rare.

Kelly also suggested a separate incident took place, involving a laden ULCC, and predicted that the United States would respond with retaliatory strikes, following the pattern of previous escalation cycles between the two sides.

Iran’s Push to Control Hormuz Traffic Routing

Bloomberg commodity analyst Javier Blas said on social media that Iran appears to be pressuring shipping to route through Iranian-controlled lanes in the Strait rather than the Omani side, while still permitting some traffic through — noting that six Japanese oil tankers crossed the previous day, with two more transiting as the news broke.

A regime-aligned social media account, Dolfiniran, confirmed Tuesday that Iran was intensifying military pressure to what it called “monopolize passage” through the Strait. The account laid out Tehran’s interpretation of the recently agreed ceasefire memorandum with Washington: that Iran’s obligation to keep the Strait open applies only to a designated Iranian shipping lane, not the Omani route. The account stated bluntly that Iran would accept no compromise on control of the waterway.

Traffic Data Shows Shipping Pulling Back

Market data suggests shipping interests are already reacting. Contrarian research firm HFI Research noted that inbound tanker flows have slowed sharply, and pointed to the shift from drone attacks to missile strikes by the IRGC as a sign of escalation, though it assessed that current flow reductions are not yet enough to affect broader oil production shut-in calculations.

The timing is notable: tracking firm Windward had counted nearly 80 transits through the Strait over July 4-5, roughly two-thirds of pre-conflict volumes, indicating traffic was just beginning to recover before this latest disruption.

What This Means for Owners and Charterers

For ship owners, managers, and charterers operating in or near the Strait of Hormuz, this episode underscores how fragile any recovery in transit volumes remains and how quickly risk conditions can shift from drone harassment to missile strikes on laden tankers and gas carriers. Vessels transiting contested lanes face not just kinetic risk but growing uncertainty over which routing choices — Iranian versus Omani — insurers, flag states, and charter parties will consider acceptable going forward.

Operationally, this reinforces the value of pre-transit condition and cargo verification. A vessel entering a high-risk corridor with a documented, up-to-date survey record — covering hull condition, cargo tank integrity, and bunker quantities — is better positioned for insurance, claims, and charterparty disputes should an incident occur. For LNG and tanker operators particularly, independent condition surveys and cargo inspections before and after Hormuz transits can provide critical evidence in the event of damage, delay, or disputed cargo loss tied to regional hostilities.

As the situation remains fluid, with reports of a possible U.S. retaliatory response still unconfirmed, shipping companies routing through the Strait should treat current transit data and security advisories as provisional, and factor renewed war-risk premiums and delay costs into voyage planning until the picture stabilizes.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.