DUBAI — Attacks on ships are escalating in the Arabian Gulf as Israel and Iran both launched fresh waves of intense strikes overnight. A bulk carrier has become the third vessel Wednesday morning to be struck by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping lane that has become a focal point in the war with Iran. The vessel reported being hit by an “unknown projectile” while it was 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, said UKMTO, the maritime authority with responsibility for region. The crew of the vessel are safe and there is no environmental impact, said the UKMTO report. A cargo ship earlier caught fire and was being evacuated about 11 nautical miles north of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula after being struck, the UKMTO said. Another cargo vessel that was hit off the coast of the UAE also reported damage earlier on Wednesday. Since the war began, 13 vessels have been attacked, according to a UKMTO advisory notice. US military destroyed several of Iran’s minelayers near the crucial waterway. Sources told CNN that Tehran had begun laying mines in the strait. The mining is not extensive yet, with a few dozen having been laid in recent days, the sources said. But Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, one of the sources said, so its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which now effectively controls the strait along with Iran’s traditional navy, has the capability to deploy a “gauntlet” of dispersed mine-laying craft, explosive-laden boats and shore-based missile batteries, CNN has reported. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that “if Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” He added that if mines were placed and they are not removed, Iran will face consequences “at a level never before seen.” He said, however, that if Tehran removes “what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!” Following Trump’s post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X that at Trump’s direction, US Central Command “has been eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—wiping them out with ruthless precision. We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.” US Central Command said in a social media post later Tuesday that the military destroyed multiple Iranian naval ships — including 16 minelayers — near the Strait of Hormuz. The Navy has had no dedicated minesweepers in the Gulf since last September, when the last of four specialized mine-countermeasures ship that had served in the region for decades was decommissioned at the US Navy facility in Bahrain. — AgenciesDUBAI — Attacks on ships are escalating in the Arabian Gulf as Israel and Iran both launched fresh waves of intense strikes overnight. A bulk carrier has become the third vessel Wednesday morning to be struck by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping lane that has become a focal point in the war with Iran. The vessel reported being hit by an “unknown projectile” while it was 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, said UKMTO, the maritime authority with responsibility for region. The crew of the vessel are safe and there is no environmental impact, said the UKMTO report. A cargo ship earlier caught fire and was being evacuated about 11 nautical miles north of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula after being struck, the UKMTO said. Another cargo vessel that was hit off the coast of the UAE also reported damage earlier on Wednesday. Since the war began, 13 vessels have been attacked, according to a UKMTO advisory notice. US military destroyed several of Iran’s minelayers near the crucial waterway. Sources told CNN that Tehran had begun laying mines in the strait. The mining is not extensive yet, with a few dozen having been laid in recent days, the sources said. But Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, one of the sources said, so its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which now effectively controls the strait along with Iran’s traditional navy, has the capability to deploy a “gauntlet” of dispersed mine-laying craft, explosive-laden boats and shore-based missile batteries, CNN has reported. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that “if Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” He added that if mines were placed and they are not removed, Iran will face consequences “at a level never before seen.” He said, however, that if Tehran removes “what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!” Following Trump’s post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X that at Trump’s direction, US Central Command “has been eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—wiping them out with ruthless precision. We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.” US Central Command said in a social media post later Tuesday that the military destroyed multiple Iranian naval ships — including 16 minelayers — near the Strait of Hormuz. The Navy has had no dedicated minesweepers in the Gulf since last September, when the last of four specialized mine-countermeasures ship that had served in the region for decades was decommissioned at the US Navy facility in Bahrain. — Agencies
