HORMUZ INFERNO: Iranian Media Says Ship Burns After Projectile Strike
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Iran's Fars News Agency reports that a ship is burning in the southern Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile. Video shared with the report shows a large vessel pouring thick black smoke into a hazy sky, with flames visible from what appears to be an explosion or impact. Fars has not publicly identified the ship, who fired the projectile, or whether anyone was hurt, and the footage and claims have not been independently verified. The strait is one of the world's most important oil and gas shipping lanes, so even a single burning vessel can send shockwaves through energy markets.
The incident follows a string of similar attacks in recent weeks. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has reported multiple projectile strikes on tankers in the strait, including a fire in a ship's engine room earlier this week and a supertanker set ablaze last Thursday that Fars said had been sailing on an unauthorised route. Those attacks come as tensions between Iran and the United States keep rising, with Washington enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports and disabling ships that try to break it, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it will keep the strait closed as long as American activity in the region continues. With both sides trading blows at sea, shipping companies and governments are watching closely to see whether the next strike pushes the standoff into something bigger.