Two Vessels Struck Near Strait of Hormuz as Iran Sets Conditions for Reopening

At least two vessels were struck over the weekend in waters near Oman and Iran, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported, as Tehran reiterated its position on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen unless its conditions for ending the war with the U.S. are met.

On Saturday, the UKMTO, a British maritime security alert service, said it received a report of a crude oil tanker being hit by an unknown projectile four nautical miles east of Oman. It said another tanker was reported as being similarly struck Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage to its engine room.

Attacks on shipping in the strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil supplies moved before the start of the U.S. and Israel-led war on Feb. 28, have been happening on a regular basis for weeks.

"The Strait of Hormuz will not open until Iran's seven conditions based on the Islamabad Memorandum are met, and Iran will not regulate its national security with tweets from American officials," Iranian state media agency Nour News quoted parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as saying Sunday.

President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an interim deal in June, known as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, that resulted in a brief hiatus in fighting.

Tehran's conditions for allowing ships to proceed freely through the Strait of Hormuz include a halt to U.S. "acts of aggression," an end to the U.S. naval blockade of its ports and economic warfare, and the release of Iranian assets.

A key demand of the U.S. has been that Iran dismantle its nuclear weapons program.