Fire on ship near UAE, tensions escalate in Strait of Hormuz

Shafaq News- Abu Dhabi

A fire broke out Monday on a vessel 14 nautical miles west of Khor Fakkan, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported, advising ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to consider routing through Omani territorial waters.

South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs confirmed a separate explosion in the engine room of a South Korean vessel in the strait. In Fujairah, three Indian nationals were injured in an attack on the Fujairah Oil Industries Zone, UAE authorities said.

The UAE Ministry of Defense reported intercepting three of four Iranian cruise missiles detected over its territory; the fourth fell into the sea. CNN, citing well-informed sources, reported that an Israeli air defense system deployed in the UAE downed the projectiles.

Escalation had been building throughout the day. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had earlier threatened to stop by force any vessels it deemed in violation of its rules in the strait, while a US official said rules of engagement had been updated to authorize American forces to strike threats to transiting ships. The IRGC subsequently dismissed US accounts of vessel movements as false, stating no commercial or oil tankers had passed through the waterway in recent hours.

Tehran separately reported firing warning shots at a US warship to prevent its entry into the strait, without confirming any damage. The Iranian military said it had blocked American ships and destroyers from transiting following that warning.