A new report of an attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday has raised fresh concerns over threats to energy supplies, as Saudi Arabia temporarily shut a key oil pipeline following a separate drone attack.
The British navy-affiliated United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report that a projectile struck a vessel while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The extent of the damage and the condition of the vessel’s crew were not immediately known, UKMTO said.
The report came a day after Saudi Arabia announced the temporary closure of its 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West pipeline as a precaution following a drone attack. Baghdad and Riyadh said the drone originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate.
The attacks come amid a widening Middle East war that has pushed energy prices higher, with Brent crude surging back above $100 a barrel over the past week.
The East-West pipeline has been a crucial alternative route for Middle Eastern oil supplies for the past six months, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been largely disrupted by the conflict.
The pipeline has been carrying between four million and five million barrels of oil per day, equivalent to around 4% to 5% of global supply. This has helped shield Saudi Arabia from the extent of disruptions affecting other Gulf oil and gas exporters.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the pipeline attack. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Medina, while Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the attack caused injuries and damage that was still being assessed.
US President Donald Trump, who was visiting Ireland, said Iran was probably responsible for the attack.
Separately, Saudi Civil Defence said on Saturday that a projectile fired by the Iran-aligned Houthis injured two people in the Jazan region and damaged several buildings, including a mosque.
The latest developments have also increased pressure on Washington over whether to assist Saudi Arabia in fighting the Houthis, a move that could further widen the conflict.
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, spoke to Trump on Thursday and asked for US military assistance against the Houthis, according to three sources cited by Reuters.
The sources said the crown prince was told Washington would not intervene directly for now but would provide intelligence support.
Trump confirmed on Saturday that he had spoken to the Saudi crown prince, adding that the Houthis had also contacted his administration and asked the United States not to become directly involved.
Meanwhile, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, known as the “Gate of Tears”, at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Efforts to end the conflict between the United States and Iran have also stalled since a June agreement collapsed within weeks.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee, said on X on Saturday that dialogue and negotiations would serve no purpose unless the United States accepted all of Iran’s conditions.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it would attend a meeting with Gulf Arab states in Oman on Monday to discuss the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Saturday that expectations for a breakthrough were low, saying the meeting, initiated by Oman, would cover issues including the strait but was not expected to produce a signed agreement.
A proposal for routes through the strait involving Iran and Oman is expected to be presented at Monday’s meeting, which will also be attended by Iraq. However, according to a source cited by Tasnim news agency, the strait would not reopen unless seven conditions conveyed by Iran to the United States were met.
Iran is seeking recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz, including the right to collect fees from vessels using the waterway, a demand rejected by Washington. Oman, which controls the opposite bank of the strait, said it was negotiating with the agreement of other regional states.
