Merchant vessels hit by disabling fire in Arabian Gulf: UKMTO
13:41, 09/09/2026, WednesdayU: Update: 13:45, 09/09/2026, Wednesday
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File photoUK Maritime Trade Operations said Wednesday it received reports at 2215GMT Tuesday that several merchant vessels were hit by disabling fire in the northern Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to escalate around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Wednesday that several merchant vessels operating in the northern Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman had sustained damage from disabling fire amid ongoing military activity, noting that it received the alert at 2215GMT Tuesday. "Reports indicate the vessels were subject to disabling fire as part of ongoing military activity in the region," UKMTO said in an advisory, adding that authorities have acknowledged the incidents and investigations are continuing.
The organization declined to specify the exact timing of the attacks or identify the affected vessels, stating that it could not verify whether casualties or environmental damage had occurred. UKMTO advised mariners to monitor the latest maritime security information as exchanges between regional powers intensify.
Iranian Retaliation
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated Wednesday that its naval forces targeted two American vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf, describing the action as retaliation for US strikes against five Iranian oil tankers. The IRGC did not name the specific vessels it claimed to have struck, and it remained unclear whether the merchant ships referenced in the UKMTO notice corresponded to those Tehran claimed to have targeted.
US Military Response
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that American forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC twice targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the preceding two days. The warship evaded both attacks and no American personnel were injured, according to the command.
The incidents represent the latest attacks involving commercial and military shipping in the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran, which has heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies. The exchanges follow weeks of escalating vessel attacks between the two powers in and around the strategic waterway.