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One killed, four injured after attack on commercial vessel off Qeshm Island
An Iranian ship was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, killing one person and injuring four others, local Iranian authorities said.
"A merchant vessel was struck around 5:00 am (0130 GMT) this morning off the coasts of Hengam and Qeshm islands. One person was killed and four others were injured," Qeshm city governor Amir Teymouri said, without specifying the origin of the strike.
Several explosions were reported overnight around Qeshm, the largest island in the strait.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations monitor said later it had received reports of a vessel being struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
"A fire has broken out onboard the vessel following the reported attack. Local authorities are on the scene and assisting in evacuating crew members," it added without elaborating further on the attack.
Control over the strait has become a major flashpoint in the conflict between Iran and the United States in their six-month war.
In retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel that started the war on February 28, Iran has blocked the waterway, a passage that was previously free and unobstructed before the conflict began.
Iran now requires vessels to obtain authorization to pass through the strait, citing security and sovereignty concerns, and is considering a mechanism to impose service fees.
Vessels that fail to comply are frequently targeted by Iranian strikes, while the United States sporadically bombs the Iranian coast in a bid to challenge Tehran's control of the strait.
In recent weeks, in violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding reached between the two countries to end the war, the US struck multiple locations in southern Iran, prompting Tehran to target US military facilities across the region.