Iran ceasefire under threat after cargo ship set on fire while 'hostile drones' enter Kuwait The fragile ceasefire in the Iran war has again come under threat after a cargo ship caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off Qatar's coast. It came as Kuwait's military said it detected and dealt with 'several hostile drones' in the country's airspace at dawn, marking the first such incident since the ceasefire came into effect in April. In Sunday's naval attack, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said that the strike caused a small fire on the cargo ship, which was extinguished. The attack happened 43km northeast of Qatar's capital, Doha, the UKMTO said. There were no reported casualties, it said. It gave no details on the owner or origin of the ship, and there was no claim of responsibility. But Qatar said the attack is a 'serious escalation' that threatens the security of maritime traffic and vital supplies in the region. There have been several attacks against ships in the Persian Gulf over the past week. On Friday, the US struck two Iranian oil tankers after it said that the vessels were trying to breach its blockade of Iran's ports. Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman's Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026 US President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn't accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy on Sunday reiterated its warning that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a 'heavy assault' on one of the US bases in the region and enemy ships. In Kuwait, Defence Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al Otaibi said that hostile drones entered Kuwait's airspace early Sunday, and that forces responded 'in accordance with established procedures.' There were no immediate reports of casualties. US President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn't accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since joint strikes on February 28 by the US and Israel launched the war, which has caused a global spike in fuel prices and rattled world markets. The attacks in Kuwait were the latest threats to a month-old ceasefire, which the Trump administration says remains in effect. It has faced difficulties, with Iran restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway key to the global flow of oil, and the US imposing a blockade of Iranian ports. Washington has been awaiting Iran's response to a new proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the strait to shipping and roll back Iran's nuclear program. One of the main sticking points in the negotiations is the fate of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The UN nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440kg of uranium that is enriched up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. The Isfahan facility was bombarded by US-Israeli airstrikes in the 12-day war last year, and faced less intense attacks in this year's war In an interview with Iranian state media, a spokesman for the Iranian military said that forces were on 'full readiness' to protect nuclear sites where the uranium is stored. 'We considered it possible that they might intend to steal it through infiltration operations or heliborne operations,' Brig. Gen. Akrami Nia told the IRNA news agency late Saturday. He didn't offer further details. The majority of Iran's highly enriched uranium is likely still at its Isfahan nuclear complex, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi revealed last month. The Isfahan facility was bombarded by US-Israeli airstrikes in the 12-day war last year, and faced less intense attacks in this year's war. Earlier this week, air defences in the United Arab Emirates engaged two Iranian ballistic missiles and three drones, leaving three people injured. Kuwait had previously said its air defences dealt with Iranian missiles and drones during the war, including a wave of Iranian drones on April 8 that targeted vital infrastructure. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
Iran ceasefire under threat after cargo ship set on fire while 'hostile drones' enter Kuwait The fragile ceasefire in the Iran war has again come under threat after a cargo ship caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off Qatar's coast. It came as Kuwait's military s…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.