TEHRAN — An Iranian cargo vessel was struck early Sunday off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one person and injuring four others, Iranian state television reported Iran’s state-controlled IRNAccording to a news outlet, the governor of Qeshm blamed the attack on what he described as a “terrorist enemy”. The US military did not respond quickly.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a vessel passing the Strait of Hormuz had been hit by a projectile. It later stated that a fire had broken out aboard the vessel and that local authorities were evacuating the crew.
Qeshm Island, some 22 kilometres from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, is strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz, through which Iran has attempted to gain greater control over shipping during the ongoing conflict. Hours before the incident, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a defiant social media message aimed at the United States.
Our people cannot be coerced into surrender. “Iran will not surrender,” he declared. The strike comes a day before a regional gathering scheduled to discuss Iran and Oman’s efforts to regulate shipping via the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has announced that foreign ministers from regional countries will attend Monday’s meeting, but Bahrain has stated that it will not participate because it does not have diplomatic relations with Tehran. It was unclear Sunday which additional countries would attend.
Also Read:
Omar Al Abdulqader On Reshaping Hydraulic Solutions Through Arabian Delta
Sanjeet Manek’s Vision To Reshape Distribution
