Iranian cargo vessel struck near Strait of Hormuz, one dead

TEHRAN — An Iranian cargo vessel was struck early Sunday off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving one person dead and four others wounded, Iranian state media reported.Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted the governor of Qeshm as blaming what he described as a “terrorist enemy” for the attack. There was no immediate comment from the US military.Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz had been hit by a projectile. It later reported that a fire had broken out aboard the vessel and that local authorities were evacuating the crew.Qeshm Island, about 22 kilometers from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, occupies a strategic position near the Strait of Hormuz, through which Iran has sought to exert greater control over shipping during the ongoing conflict.Hours before the attack, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone in a social media post directed at the United States.“Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender,” he said.The attack comes a day before a planned meeting of regional countries to discuss efforts by Iran and Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has said foreign ministers from regional countries will attend Monday’s meeting, although Bahrain has said it will not participate because it does not have diplomatic relations with Tehran. It remained unclear Sunday which other countries would attend.Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has remained limited amid continuing attacks since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28.The US has maintained that oil continues to move through the waterway as its military assists vessels navigating along Oman’s coast.Iran has previously expressed interest in charging vessels transit fees and has proposed that inbound traffic to the Arabian Gulf pass through Iranian waters, while outbound traffic would use waters controlled by both Iran and Oman.Pezeshkian said Saturday that an agreement with Oman over management of the strait would not automatically result in its reopening.“The waterway would be opened up on the condition that the US will terminate its blockade,” he told India Today TV.The renewed focus on Hormuz comes as another major global shipping route faces growing uncertainty.