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A large cargo ship was attacked by multiple small craft while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, roughly 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.
The master of the northbound bulk carrier reported the attack to UKMTO, which said all crew members were safe and no environmental impact had been reported. Vessels in the area were advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity while authorities investigate.
The incident occurred near one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints and comes amid heightened tensions over Iranian threats to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the U.S. says the strait should be governed and controlled by Iran.
“What is certain is that we will not step back from the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its pre-war state,” Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Sunday.
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The location is significant because territorial waters generally extend up to 12 nautical miles from a nation’s coastline. But under international maritime law, foreign-flagged vessels are allowed innocent passage through territorial seas so long as they are not engaging in threatening conduct, fishing or other prohibited activity.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says coastal states may claim a territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, while foreign vessels are allowed “innocent passage” through those waters.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. The vessel was not publicly identified in the initial UKMTO alert.
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Iran has previously used fast-attack boats to harass or seize vessels in and around the strait. Sunday’s incident follows a series of maritime attacks in the region during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel, with commercial shipping repeatedly caught in the middle.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a key route for global energy shipments. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has described it as a critical oil chokepoint, and roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption moved through the strait in recent years.
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The UKMTO alert did not say whether the small craft were Iranian, and authorities were continuing to investigate.
Fox News’ Bryan Llenas and Nick Kalman contributed to this report.
