Unknown projectiles struck three more ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said, according to AFP: a crude tanker hit on its port side, an LNG carrier and a third vessel. No names, flags or casualty figures have been published, and no one has claimed the attacks.
They follow Monday evening's hit on the Al Funtas, a Kuwaiti-flagged VLCC run by Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. It caught fire in transit. The fire was put out and the crew is safe. Maritime Executive reports the ship was not on the "non-compliant" list published by Iran's self-declared strait authority, though several other Kuwaiti tankers are. It is the third Kuwait-flagged tanker hit this war, after the Al-Salmi in March and the Kaifan in July.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi told reporters on Tuesday: "We have been striking ships for quite some time now," referring to small vessels that try to pass. He named no ship.
The strikes came as Qatar delivered Washington's formal answer to Iran's seven-day plan. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received it in Doha on Tuesday and presented it to the cabinet on Wednesday. Reuters says the two sides disagree on the order of steps, not the steps themselves.
November Brent settled at $102.59 on Tuesday, down 2.6%, and rose ~1.1% early Wednesday, the contract's last trading day.
Watch for ship names and casualties, a claim, any CENTCOM response, and Tehran's reply.