Iran cargo vessel hit near Qeshm as Strait of Hormuz tensions deepen

Cairo,UPDATED: Sep 14, 2026 02:06 IST

An Iranian cargo vessel was hit early on Sunday near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported, killing one person and injuring four. The incident brought renewed attention to threats to shipping in the waterway, while a planned meeting in Oman on Iran's efforts to manage traffic through the strait was postponed.

The developments came as tensions around regional shipping routes remained high. Threats in the area had intensified last week after Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, while commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has remained low since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a "terrorist enemy" for Sunday's attack. There was no immediate comment from the US military, which has struck Iranian-flagged vessels during its blockade of Iranian ports and is also facing a new threat from Iranian ballistic missiles launched at its warships.

Qeshm Island, around 22 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas, is important to Iran's effort to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. Hours before the attack, Iran's government remained defiant. "Our people can't be bullied into submission. Iran won't surrender," President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post.

US President Donald Trump struck a different note, saying on Sunday that Iran "wants to make a deal so bad" that "they're calling constantly." Trump was speaking at his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland, where he was attending a tournament. Later, when asked by a reporter whether the US struck the Iranian cargo vessel early Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, "I don't want to say." He then boarded Air Force One to return to Washington.

Iran had said foreign ministers from regional countries would meet in Oman on Monday to discuss efforts by Iran and Oman, which lies across the strait, to manage shipping there. But Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, said on X late on Sunday that the meeting had been postponed "in the interests of consensus." "We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region," Albusaidi said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor said on Sunday that a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, although it was not clear whether that referred to the attack reported by Iran off Qeshm. It said a severe fire had broken out and that local authorities were evacuating those on board. The US has said plenty of oil is still moving out as its military helps guide ships along Oman's coast, despite the risk of being struck.

Before the Oman meeting was postponed, only Iraq had publicly confirmed that it would attend. Bahrain had said it would not join, citing the absence of diplomatic relations with Tehran. Since early in the war, Iran has said it wants ships to pay fees for transit. It has also said traffic entering the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while outbound traffic would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman's.

There had been some optimism in the region about the planned meeting, with hopes that Gulf nations would use it to shape a collective response to a war they had no role in starting. For months, they have faced Iranian attacks that Tehran has said were aimed at US military assets on their soil.

On Sunday, Pezeshkian said he had a "good talk" over the weekend with a senior official from the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Iran has fired thousands of missiles and drones at the Gulf country, which is a close US ally. Pezeshkian said he met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed and added: "We talked about issues of concern so that it's possible to put the past behind us, to look toward the future and how we can build the future together." His remarks were broadcast live on Iranian state television.

The attack near Qeshm, the delayed Oman meeting and the exchanges between Tehran and Washington together underscored the strain around the Strait of Hormuz, even as regional countries continued diplomatic efforts to address the crisis.

With PTI Inputs

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