ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz reported hearing two explosions, the British navy monitor said Thursday, noting that the incident caused no casualties or damage but urging vessels to "transit with caution." The report notably coincided with Iran and Oman agreeing on safe transit routes through the key waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it "received a time late report of an incident 9NM [nautical miles] southeast of Kumzar, Oman."
"The Master of a tanker has reported hearing two explosions whilst transiting in the Strait of Hormuz," the monitor said, adding that the "crew and vessel are safe" and "no environmental damage has been reported."
Nonetheless, the British maritime monitor urged vessels "to transit with caution" through Hormuz and "report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which around one-fifth of global oil supplies pass, has been a flashpoint between the US and Iran since the outbreak of the six-week war, when Washington and Tel Aviv launched a joint aerial campaign on February 28, striking thousands of targets across Iran.
In response, Tehran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - while also launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
The warring sides reached a preliminary ceasefire in early April, followed by a Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Tehran and Washington in mid-June, establishing a ceasefire on all fronts.
Following the truce, however, the two sides engaged in several rounds of strikes and counterstrikes that escalated on July 8 and ended on July 24.
A fragile de-escalation has since taken hold, though a US naval blockade on Iranian ports remains in place, as Iran continues to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting commercial shipping and requiring vessels to obtain authorization for passage.
Thursday's incident notably came shortly after Iran and Oman agreed on Wednesday on routes for a safe commercial shipping corridor through Hormuz, Tehran's foreign ministry announced, adding that a joint statement by the two sides on shared management of the strait is in the final stages of drafting, following months of maritime restrictions at the vital waterway.
"Talks between Iran and Oman, as the two littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz, aimed at designating a safe transit route for commercial shipping, have been ongoing over the past two months," Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, as quoted by the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
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