DUBAI: The British military said a ship caught fire Sunday after being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack caused a small fire on the bulk carrier, which was extinguished.
The attack happened 23 nautical miles (43 kilometers) northeast of Qatar’s capital, Doha, the UKMTO said.
There were no reported casualties, it said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the drone attack, describing the targeting of commercial and civilian vessels as a “grave violation of international law.”
“Maritime security and freedom of navigation must not be compromised under any circumstances,” it said.
Using Strait of Hormuz as ‘pressure tool’ will deepen crisis, Qatari PM tells Iran
Qatar’s prime minister told Iran’s foreign minister that using the Strait of Hormuz as “a pressure tool” would only deepen the crisis in the Gulf, the Qatari foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani also told Iran’s Abbas Araqchi in a phone call that all parties in the conflict should respond to mediation efforts to end the war.
Sunday's incident was the latest attack on vessels in the Arabian Gulf since a shaky ceasefire stopped fighting between the United States and Iran.
There have been several attacks against ships in the Arabian Gulf over the past week. On Friday, the US struck two Iranian oil tankers after it said the tankers were trying to breach its blockade of Iran’s ports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy has warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on one of the US bases in the region and enemy ships.
US President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the US and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets.
- With Reuters, AFP and AP
