Ship attacks have resumed in the Strait of Hormuz where three tankers, including a Qatari LNG Carrier were hit after which Doha condemned Iran and called its military action ‘unacceptable’.

British maritime security agency UKMTO said that an unknown projectile struck a tanker overnight, leading to a fire before two more were hit, one by a drone attack.

All three ships were attacked near Oman

Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King’s College London said that many shipping companies are exploring options to avoid Iranian tolls or service fees by choosing alternative routes away from the Iranian coastline and close to the coast of Oman.

However, the ship attacks highlight that Iran is not ready to accept other alternatives as it claims a natural right to control and manage the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman had said that ships could pass through the Strait using an alternative route close to its shores, an idea opposed by Iran which wants to charge a service fee from vessels using the narrow waterway.

Doha had mediated the talks between Tehran and Washington last week and after the attack on a Qatari LNG Carrier, urged Tehran to “cease all practices that undermine regional security or threaten the safety of international maritime navigation”.

“The targeting of the Qatari vessel ‘Al-Rekayyat’ while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz constitutes an unacceptable attack on the security and safety of international maritime navigation,” Doha’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari wrote on X.

“We hold Iran fully legally responsible for this attack and for any resulting damages or repercussions,” he added.

The U.S and Iran have differences over the operation of the Strait of Hormuz. While Iran insists on controlling and managing the Strait, the U.S says it is an international waterway and no country can express its sovereign right over it.

Krieg said that it is likely that tankers which avoid the Iranian route and take the one near Oman could be attacked as Iran would call it a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

According to the 14-point US-Iran memorandum of understanding, Iran and Oman, which border Hormuz, must hold talks “to define the future administration and maritime services” in the waterway.

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