Iranian missile hit oil tanker in Qatari waters, Qatar says

An oil tanker, which was chartered by state-owned Qatar Energy, was struck by an Iranian cruise missile on Wednesday in Qatari waters, the defense ministry said.

Qatar was attacked by three cruise missiles fired from Iran, two of which were intercepted, while the other struck an oil tanker called the Aqua 1, but no casualties were reported.

The vessel was 17 nautical miles (31 km) north of Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial hub, where the world's largest gas plant is located, and the damage was above the waterline, while no environmental damage was reported, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and QatarEnergy said.

The threats to maritime traffic are rising as the US-Israel conflict with Iran is escalating in the region.

Iran has also carried out a number of attacks on Gulf oil and gas installations, especially after Israeli attacks on its own gas infrastructure. The war has also knocked out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, threatening exports to Europe and Asia.

The Gulf countries, which are also hosts to US military bases, have been repeatedly fired on by Iran since the US-Israeli war, with concerns growing about Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its ability to use this important waterway as a bargaining chip, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas is shipped.

Although the US claimed that talks with Iran are ongoing, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi claimed on Tuesday that he was receiving direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but these are not "negotiations," according to a report carried by Qatar's Al Jazeera TV.