ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Qatar’s foreign ministry on Tuesday slammed an Iranian attack on a Qatari oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran is “fully legally responsible” for the attack and its consequences.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said that the Qatari-flagged Al-Rekayyat had been targeted at the vital waterway, describing the attack as “unacceptable” and “a grave and explicit violation of international law,” which further risks “the security and safety of international maritime navigation.”

“We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately cease all practices that undermine regional security or threaten the safety of international maritime navigation, and refrain from endangering global energy supplies and the resources of the countries of the region in pursuit of narrow interests,” wrote on X.

Doha holds Tehran “fully legally responsible” for the attack, Ansari said, adding that Iran bears responsibility for any “resulting damages and consequences.”

Early on Tuesday, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that a tanker had been struck by an “unknown projectile” on its port side, causing a fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with other reports suggesting that it was a Qatari-flagged tanker, with no casualties reported.

Reports of another attack on a Saudi-flagged vessel soon followed. 

Later in the day, media affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that a Qatari vessel and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker had been targeted near the same area in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has repeatedly maintained that vessels using the Strait of Hormuz must travel through shipping lanes approved by Iranian authorities and provide prior notification before transiting the waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained a focal point of the US-Iran conflict since its outbreak in late February. Despite a fragile truce in place, the two sides have traded fire on several occasions caused by tensions in Hormuz, with Washington accusing Tehran of attacking commercial ships navigating the strait.

Earlier in July, the two sides reportedly agreed to halt their exchange of attacks in and around the strait, according to a senior US official cited by Axios.

Iran and Oman announced the formation of a joint working group on June 23 to determine future administrative arrangements for the strait.