MUSCAT (The Thursday Times) — A tanker operating near Oman reported coming under fire on Friday after being approached by two gun boats linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a fresh warning issued by the UK Maritime Trade Operations.
In Warning 037-26, the UKMTO said it had received a report of an incident around 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman. The master of the tanker said the vessel was approached by two IRGC gun boats and was then fired upon without any VHF challenge being issued beforehand.
The UKMTO said the tanker and its crew were safe following the incident. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The report, issued at 0920 UTC on April 18, is likely to add to concerns over maritime security in the waters around Oman and the wider Gulf region, where commercial shipping remains highly sensitive to military escalation and regional confrontation.
