Key facts
- Qatar has warned Iran it will bear full legal responsibility for three tankers being struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The incidents occurred near Oman, which had proposed a new shipping corridor opposed by Iran.
- Iran blamed the US for the incident and claimed a right to impose fees on ships using the waterway.
- The Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat reported being hit by a drone.
- Qatar called the incident a "serious and explicit violation" of international law.
Qatar has issued a stern warning to Iran, stating it will be held fully legally responsible after three tankers, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel, were struck within hours in the Strait of Hormuz.
The incidents occurred near Oman, which had recently suggested a new shipping corridor close to its coastline, a proposal Iran opposes, seeking instead to charge ships using the vital waterway.
Iran, through its foreign ministry officials, blamed the United States for the Thursday incidents. Tehran asserted that Washington's attempts to open new routes through the strait constituted a breach of a memorandum of understanding signed by both the US and Iran. Iranian officials insisted that this memorandum specifically allows Iran, in consultation with Oman, to manage the reopening of the strait with the aim of restoring commercial traffic to pre-war levels within 30 days.
At a briefing in Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry officials maintained that Iran has the right to impose fees on all vessels utilizing the strait, with the spokesman stating, "Securing the strait for navigation for safe passage is itself a service." These terms for managing the strait are likely to be met with rejection from Oman and Western shipping interests.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) confirmed that the Qatari tanker, Al Rekayyat, was hit near Limah, Oman, while attempting to travel south out of the strait towards the Gulf of Oman. A Mayday call from the Al Rakayyat crew indicated they were "being hit by a drone top of port side near engine room."
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, described the incident as a "serious and explicit violation" of international law and declared that Qatar would hold Iran fully responsible for the act of aggression. This marks the first time a Qatari ship has been targeted since the conflict between the US and Iran began on February 28.
Iran's foreign ministry reiterated its claim that the memorandum grants Iran sole authority to manage the strait's reopening over a 30-day period, criticizing the US for attempting to open new routes. The spokesman also rejected Oman's proposal for a new authority modeled on the Malacca and Singapore Straits, where fees are charged only for specific navigational services, not security. Iran argued that providing security is costly and that it and Oman have been doing so for a long time, thus necessitating charges for related services, including safe passage.
Iran's foreign ministry also firmly rejected proposals from France and the UK to de-mine and secure the southern route through the Strait near the Omani shore, stating that such actions are for Iran to undertake.