New reports of an attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday heightened concerns over Iran-linked threats to energy supplies, following Saudi Arabia’s shutdown of a vital oil pipeline.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report that a vessel was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It said the extent of the damage and the condition of the crew remained unclear as of early Sunday.
The report came a day after Saudi Arabia announced the temporary shutdown of its East-West oil pipeline as a precautionary measure following a drone attack that Baghdad and Riyadh said originated from Iraq, where Iran-backed factions are active.
Continued attacks amid the widening conflict in the Middle East could push energy prices higher after a week in which Brent crude again rose above $100 a barrel.
The 1,200-kilometer East-West pipeline, which runs across the Arabian Peninsula, has been the main route for exporting Middle Eastern oil to global markets over the past six months, as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed due to the war.
The pipeline carries between 4 million and 5 million barrels of oil per day, equivalent to 4% to 5% of global supplies. This has shielded Saudi Arabia from the disruptions that have hindered oil and gas exports from other Gulf states.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far. Satellite imagery showed black smoke rising from an area along the pipeline south of Medina. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the attack caused some injuries and damage that was still being assessed, without providing details on its impact on exports.
US President Donald Trump, who was visiting Ireland to attend a golf tournament at one of his resorts, said Iran was likely responsible for the attack.
On Saturday, Saudi Civil Defense said in a statement that a projectile launched by the Houthis wounded two people in the Jazan region and damaged several buildings, including a mosque.
Oil prices surged sharply over the past week, while diesel prices at US fuel stations reached an all-time high of more than $6 a gallon for the first time. The increase followed exchanges of attacks between Washington and Tehran involving oil tankers, as well as advances by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen along the Red Sea, potentially extending disruptions to another major oil shipping route.
Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis took control on Friday of the strategic island of Perim, located at the entrance to the Red Sea in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Iranian Official Downplays Oman Meeting
No talks have taken place between the United States and Iran to end the conflict since an agreement reached in June collapsed within weeks.
In a post on X on Saturday, Ibrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, said: “As long as the US side does not accept all of Iran’s conditions, there is no point in dialogue or negotiations.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that Tehran would attend a meeting with Arab Gulf states in Oman on Monday to discuss the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, a senior Iranian official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, played down the prospects for a breakthrough. He said the meeting, called by Oman, would address issues including the Strait of Hormuz, but ruled out the signing of an agreement.
A source told Iran’s Tasnim News Agency that an agreement between Iran and Oman on transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz would be presented at Monday’s meeting, which Iraq would also attend. The source said, however, that the strait would not be reopened unless seven conditions conveyed by Iran to the United States were met, without specifying what those conditions were.
Iran is demanding recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz, which would allow it to collect fees from vessels passing through the waterway, a demand rejected by Washington.
Oman, which controls the opposite shore of the strait, says it is conducting negotiations with the approval of other countries in the region.
Source: Reuters
