Is the US-Iran war brewing again? Despite a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran in place, fresh escalation and warnings have emerged, hinting at the possibility of the war resuming again.
On Tuesday, an “unknown projectile” reportedly struck and caused a fire on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz despite a ceasefire in place.
The incident came hours after US President Donald Trump issued a warning to “finish the job” in Iran. “We’re going to win one way or the other. We’re going to either make a deal or we’re going to finish the job—and it won’t be tough to finish the job,” Trump said at the White House on Monday, while adding that he preferred to make a deal.
However, the incident of the tanker being set ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz has added a fresh strain in talks, dimming hopes of lasting peace. The fresh escalation comes as Iran pays respects to slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli surprise attack in February this year, triggering the war.
Is Iran behind the Hormuz attack?
While there is no official confirmation on who was behind the latest attack on a tanker near Limah, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz, the suspicion has fallen on Iran, which has been behind attacks on vessels on a route close to the Omani shore.
The attack on the tanker, reportedly identified as a Qatari-owned vessel named Al Rekayyat, was reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The incident followed a warning by Iran for vessels passing the strait to use approved routes only. “Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Iranian statement had said before the attack, as per news agency AP.
The statement had also warned against interference by US forces, saying it would warrant “a rapid and decisive reaction.”
Iran’s ‘ready to fire’ warning to ships
A Wall Street Journal report said that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned ships via maritime radio over the weekend that “our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you”.
Al Rekayyat was an oil-laden LNG carrier was struck by a projectile near the Omani coast during the early hours of Tuesday. The vessel was owned by Qatar’s state-owned shipping company Nakilat, and appeared to be traveling without its transponders on, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that two merchant vessels had been struck by Iranian missiles before that but didn’t name them.
Iran has long sought to assert control over Hormuz, through which a fifth of all oil moved before the war. Operations through the key waterway were disrupted after the war began in February, a development that sent oil prices shooting up.
Inside Trump’s latest warning to Iran
The Hormuz tanker attack came hours after Donald Trump warned Iran, saying only two options are before him – either make a deal or “finish the job”.
“We’re going to win one way or the other. We’re going to either make a deal or we’re going to finish the job—and it won’t be tough to finish the job,” Trump said, further adding: “I’d rather make a deal because I don’t want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour”.
The US President added that it is going to get the ‘nuclear dust’ and that there will be no nuclear weapons, referring to the Iran-US deal.
The fresh warnings and escalations come amid an ongoing interim deal of 60 days to allow ships to pass the Strait of Hormuz without paying charges. However, Tehran insists it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage.
Iranians mourn Khamenei
The latest attacks in Gulf waters and fears of the war escalating again come amid an ongoing funeral service for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran. The 86-year-old was killed in the US-Israeli strikes in February this year and is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
His funeral began last week and will continue till Thursday, July 8.
Thousands of people from across the world, including an Indian delegation, recently paid respects to the slain leader. On behalf of the Indian government, Union minister of state for external affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain attended the funeral ceremony.
