Tanker set ablaze after being struck by projectile in the Strait of
Hormuz as Iran mourns Khamenei
[July 07, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A tanker traveling off the coast of
Oman in the Strait of Hormuz caught on fire early Tuesday morning after
being struck by a projectile, the British military said.
The attack was the latest targeting a vessel moving through the narrow
mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a fifth of all oil and natural
gas traded once passed in peacetime. Iranian state television said the
liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings
but did not directly claim the assault.
Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the
strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other ships that have used
another route close to the Omani shore.
The U.S. is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at
fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear
program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb. 28. But
previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the
U.S., which then saw Iran attack Gulf Arab states — raising the risk of
an escalation.
Talks between Iran and the U.S., meanwhile, appear to be on hold until
after the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
who was killed at the beginning of the war. Signs have been increasing
that mourners at his funeral were calling for the death of U.S.
President Donald Trump.
Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom
overnight, where mourners honored him Tuesday.
Tanker struck in latest attack in strait
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker had
been hit near Limah, Oman, in the strait. The UKMTO said the projectile
hit the port side of the vessel while trying to traveling south out of
the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.
It said there was no environmental impact from the strike and that
authorities were investigating.
Iranian state TV, quoting anonymous sources, implied Tehran carried out
the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar.
However, there’s been no official claim from the Islamic Republic for
the attack.
Iran’s joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers
moving through the strait must use its approved routes. It also said
that interference by U.S. forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid
and decisive reaction.”
But the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen
by the U.S. Navy, told shippers on Monday that the route around Oman
“has been expanded and remains available for all traffic.”
Trump on Monday at the White House also warned Iran that they'd need to
“make a deal or we're going to finish the job.”
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Mourners write messages on a wall, including one in English that
reads "We will kill Trump," during the funeral ceremonies for slain
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his
family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran,
Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
"I'd rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million
people," Trump said. “We can knock down their bridges in one hour.
We can knock out their energy supply.”
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to
allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran
insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge
fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.
The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won’t agree to Iran
charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a
United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore
earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast, highlighting the
tensions.
The data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108
ships crossed through the strait using various routes.
Mourners gather in Qom for Khamenei's funeral
Iranian state television early Tuesday aired live images from a
helicopter of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward
Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for a funeral service for
Khamenei. The mosque is believed by Shiites to have once hosted the
Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in
the 9th century and will one day reappear to bring justice to the
world.
Images of Khamenei and his son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners and posters held by
mourners. Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to make an appearance in the
funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is
believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the
airstrike that killed his father.
At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel targeted
top Iranian leaders, in at least one case likely using their public
appearances to fix their position. It has also threatened to kill
the younger Khamenei.
Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the
mourning, which began Saturday and will end Thursday as Khamenei is
buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. Khamenei
was 86.
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