Iranian Cargo Vessel Struck Near Qeshm Island, One Crew Member Dead

An Iranian commercial cargo vessel was hit by a projectile early Sunday off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and wounding four others from the vessel's 10-person crew.

Iranian state media cited the Qeshm governor, who blamed a "terrorist enemy" for the attack. Authorities had not yet identified the projectile or confirmed who was responsible. There was no immediate statement from the U.S. military.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations authority confirmed a vessel was struck while transiting the strait. UKMTO said a fire broke out on board and local authorities responded. It gave no further details on the vessel's name or cargo.

Qeshm Island sits about 22 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas and is a focal point for Iran's efforts to control traffic through the strait. The attack comes a day before foreign ministers from regional countries were scheduled to meet to discuss Iran and Oman's joint approach to managing shipping there.

The Qeshm County region logged 163 unique-device searches on MarineRadar in the past 48 hours, tracking closely with broader attention on the waterway since freight rates climbed to record levels on Friday. Iran had previously reported a multi-vessel strike near Hormuz on September 9.