Iran Widens Hormuz Pressure Campaign Near Omani LNG Terminal

Escalation Beyond the Strait’s Coastal Route

According to a report by The Maritime Executive, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has expanded its campaign of pressure against Oman, striking ground targets in the Musandam, Batinah, and Al Wusta governorates on July 12 and following up with an attack on a tanker well outside the usual strike zone. The ground strikes came after a series of attacks on tankers transiting Omani territorial waters via the Strait of Hormuz’s southern route, which began on July 6.

Late on July 13, the Liberian-flagged chemical/product tanker Stolt Magnesium (27,600 dwt) was hit roughly 40 nautical miles northeast of Qalhat — the site of Oman’s LNG export terminal near Sur. No crew injuries or tank ruptures were reported, but the vessel’s crew had to fight an engine room fire afterward. Notably, this strike occurred far from the Omani coastal corridor of the Strait where the IRGC had concentrated its earlier attacks, raising the possibility that vessels loading LNG at Qalhat could become future targets. The same night also saw attacks near the Strait itself on two Liberian-flagged crude carriers, Al Bahyah (299,425 dwt) and Mombasa B (299,392 dwt).

Targets on Land, Silence from Muscat

Omani officials have not publicly detailed the July 12 ground targets, though the report indicates they reportedly included coastal radar installations in Musandam that monitor the Strait, logistics stores at a central airbase, and bunkering facilities at Duqm. No casualties have been reported, and Omani media and social channels have largely avoided mentioning the incidents — suggesting a deliberate effort by authorities to downplay the situation while continuing diplomatic engagement with Tehran.

Oman’s Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, told Le Monde on July 12 that negotiations were underway to establish a durable framework guaranteeing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

A Dispute Over Fees, Law, and Sovereignty

The attacks appear to reflect Iranian frustration with Oman’s negotiating position, which insists that any lasting arrangement for Hormuz transit must comply with international law and UNCLOS and must not include passage fees. This stance has been reinforced, somewhat unexpectedly, by a separate development: President Trump’s proposal to impose a 20 percent levy on the value of cargoes passing through the Strait. That proposal, made without consulting Oman — through whose waters transiting vessels must pass — has allowed Muscat to reaffirm the same principles against both Iranian and American attempts to alter the status quo. The Musandam Peninsula’s reliance on coastal shipping to reach communities otherwise cut off by road underscores how impractical the levy idea is in practice, even as it has stirred broader resentment over disregard for Omani sovereignty.

What It Means for Owners and Managers

For ship owners, managers, and charterers, the widening geography of these strikes — now reaching a tanker far from the previously targeted coastal route near an LNG loading point — signals that risk zones in and around the Strait of Hormuz are no longer confined to a predictable corridor. Vessels calling at Qalhat, Duqm, or other Omani facilities may need to reassess routing, insurance exposure, and voyage risk assessments rather than relying on the assumption that danger is limited to the traditional Hormuz coastal track. The engine room fire aboard the Stolt Magnesium also highlights the practical value of pre-transit condition surveys and machinery inspections in high-risk zones, where even non-catastrophic attacks can trigger fires or systems damage that a well-documented pre-voyage survey can help owners and insurers assess and respond to quickly. As geopolitical friction over Hormuz transit rights intensifies, operators should expect continued volatility and should factor updated risk assessments and inspection protocols into voyage planning for the region.

Looking Ahead

With both Iran and the United States pressing competing visions for how Hormuz transit should be governed, Oman finds itself navigating a narrow diplomatic path — one that could shape shipping conditions in one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for months to come.

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