Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on August 3, 2026. [Stringer/Reuters]
A British maritime monitoring agency said a cargo ship reported being hit by a projectile overnight off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States and Iran made opposing claims about whether they were holding talks.
The cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” at 2 a.m. local time while it was 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of Al Khasab in Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said.
The UKMTO did not provide further information on the ship, including what flag the vessel was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo. The ship suffered damage, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, which did not elaborate.
The town of Al Khasab sits on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula that juts into the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war.
