ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian gunboats attacked a vessel off the coast of Oman early Wednesday, a British maritime agency reported, hours after US President Donald Trump gave Tehran limited time to decide on upcoming negotiations in Islamabad.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a gunboat belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck a vessel 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman without attempting to identify it, causing “heavy damage to the bridge,” adding that the crew is reported safe.
The incident comes as both sides continue escalatory actions around the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of global oil supplies typically pass, following a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that halted nearly six weeks of war triggered by a US and Israeli military campaign against Iran. Trump said Tuesday he had agreed to extend the ceasefire at Pakistan’s request to give Iran time to submit a “unified proposal” for an agreement.