Iran’s Revolutionary Guards struck an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported, while a British maritime monitoring agency separately warned of an attack in the strategic waterway.
The development came as Iran tightened its grip on the strait and Washington continued efforts to enforce a counter-blockade of Iranian ports amid the wider Middle East war.
- Advertisement -
The Islamic republic has sought to impose charges on vessels using the waterway and has targeted ships it accuses of trying to bypass its designated route.
IRNA said the Togo-flagged oil tanker Trend was “targeted and detained after a fire broke out on board” late yesterday, describing the voyage as an attempted “illegal passage”.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency had also reported a “security incident” in the Strait of Hormuz late last night but provided no further details.
It was not immediately clear whether the IRGC report and the UKMTO alert described the same event.
Pakistan vows to defend ally Saudi ‘to any extent’
Elsewhere, Pakistan’s military spokesman pledged that his country would “go to any extent” to protect its ally Saudi Arabia as the kingdom faces mounting attacks from Yemen’s Houthi forces.
Houthi forces reported new Saudi airstrikes this week, while Riyadh accused the group of carrying out a “cowardly” assault aimed at Islam’s holy city of Mecca. The accusation triggered anger and condemnation across the Muslim world.
Speaking to Arab News yesterday, Pakistan’s military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Islamabad would support Saudi Arabia “both diplomatically and physically”.
“We will go to any extent for the security of (the two holy sanctuaries) and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Last month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the so-called Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, under which the three countries pledged to defend one another if any member came under attack.
The agreement was reached as the United States and Iran remained at war and Tehran-backed Houthi rebels continued launching attacks across the region.
“Pakistan fully stands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically,” Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Arab News in an interview yesterday.
