ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Qatar Gas Transport Company on Sunday said one of its tankers was struck by “unidentified objects” in the Gulf two days earlier, adding that crew members are safe and the ship remains operational. 

The company said “ its LNG [liquefied natural gas] carrier Al Mayeda was hit by unidentified objects while transiting the Arabian Gulf on Friday evening, Oct. 30, 2026,” according to the state Qatar News Agency. 

“None of the crew members onboard were injured, and there is no impact on the environment as a result of this incident,” and the ship remains operational, it added.

Qatar has played a mediating role between the US and Iran and has stepped up diplomatic efforts recently in a bid to revive talks between the countries. 

Iran shut the key Strait of Hormuz in late February as a means in its war against the US and Israel, sharply driving up global oil prices. The US has also imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

It also established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) in May to regulate transit through the Strait of Hormuz and tighten its chokehold on the vital waterway.

Iran has frequently attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz, while also claiming some other tankers struck sea mines, failing to heed Iranian-approved navigation routes.

Also on Friday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy said three oil tankers attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorized route” with US support went up in flames.

The British maritime agency UKMTO said Friday that a tanker transiting out of the Strait of Hormuz had caught fire after a small boat allegedly attached two explosive devices to its hull a day earlier, while “subsequent blasts resulted in a fire in the engine room which temporarily disabled the vessel.”