ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman, while another vessel reported a nearby splash and explosion, a British maritime security agency said on Saturday, amid ongoing escalations between Washington and Tehran around the Strait of Hormuz

The vessel was hit on Friday about 20 kilometers off Oman's Lima, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which said the strike damaged the engine room but caused no reported casualties.

The agency added that “the tanker is not under command and the regional Coast Guard have been informed,” with an investigation ongoing.

UKMTO reported that a splash and explosion had also been observed on Friday near another vessel about 38 kilometers northeast of Oman's Khasab.

The incidents come as the United States and Iran continue exchanging daily strikes after Washington declared an end to the peace agreement earlier in July, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire by targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Baqher Zolghadr on Saturday warned that US “provocations will not only tighten the lock on the Strait of Hormuz but will also close other straits and bottlenecks,” according to Iranian state media.

As a means in its war against the US and Israel, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway responsible for the transport of roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil. 

Iranian authorities have repeatedly stressed Tehran's right to maintain control over the vital waterway in cooperation with coastal Oman, a proposition that Washington has repeatedly rejected.

In late July, US President Donald Trump said that Washington will use Iranian assets under its control to compensate for any damage to shipping.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday reacted to Trump's proposal, calling it “illegal”, and warned Washington of consequences.

The unfreezing of Iranian assets was one of the provisions of the 14-point US-Iran agreement signed in mid-June to halt military operations and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. One of Washington’s key demands was the free navigation of the strait. 

Renewed hostilities kicked off only 21 days after the Iran-US MoU was inked, with both sides trading blame for violating the agreement.

The US has mainly targeted sites in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran has launched attacks against regional countries hosting US military bases.