Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for at least one of three strikes on civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Operations Centre posted several alerts Wednesday morning that ships in the strait had been struck by “unknown projectiles,” including a ship later identified as a Thai cargo vessel. Three crew members were reported missing, the Thai Enquirer posted on X.
The IRGC said in a statement that the Thai ship was “fired upon by Iranian fighters” according to Reuters, citing Iranian state news agency Tasnim. Iran has not claimed responsibility for the other two strikes at the time of publication.
UKMTO first posted an alert Tuesday night, stating that a ship near the United Arab Emirates reported “sustained damage from a suspected but unknown projectile.”
A second ship was attacked early Wednesday morning near Oman, requesting assistance and evacuating the vessel. The third ship was attacked near Dubai and reported “being hit by an unknown projectile.” UKMTO later stated there was “no environmental impact” from either attack.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical choke point for the global oil trade. An average of 20 million barrels of oil per day were shipped in 2025 alone, according to the International Energy Agency, and accounts for 25% of global seaborne oil trade.
The IRGC warned following the start of Operation Epic Fury that any ships belonging to Western allies will “certainly be hit,” claiming “the right to control the passage through the Strait of Hormuz” in a statement to Iranian network PressTV. “Everyone must comply,” the statement said.
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