File image.
Three Iranian cruise missiles targeted Qatar on April 1, with one striking an oil tanker, the Qatari Defense Ministry announced on April 1.
In a statement published on X, the ministry said that the armed forces “successfully intercepted two of the cruise missiles, while the third missile struck an oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy in Qatar’s territorial waters.”
Relevant measures were activated, and the authorities established coordination to evacuate all 21 crew members from the tanker without any casualties, it added.
QatarEnergy later confirmed that a fuel oil tanker chartered by it was struck by a missile in northern Qatari territorial waters.
The vessel, Aqua 1, came under attack in the early morning hours, the company said in a statement, noting that crew members were injured in the incident, and no environmental damage was observed.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack on Aqua 1, describing it as a “Zionist tanker” and saying that it was targeted as a part of the 89the wave of “Operation True Promise 4”.
The attack came just a day after Kuwait Petroleum Corporation announced that a giant Kuwaiti crude oil tanker, Al Salmi, was attacked by an Iranian drone while positioned in the anchorage area of Dubai Port in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel was carrying a full load of crude oil at the time of the incident, it added.
According to a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency, the attack caused material damage to the hull of the tanker and triggered a fire. The corporation also warned of a possible oil leak into the surrounding waters.
Dubai’s Media Office, from its side, said that no injuries had been reported and that all 24 crew members aboard the tanker were safe.
The office added in a statement that response teams “successfully contained the incident,” stressing that no oil spill was reported.
Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
Shortly after the start of the American-Israeli war on Iran, the IRGC warned that any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be attacked, and the waterway — where roughly 20% of the world’s oil production passes daily — has effectively been closed since then, with as many as 29 vessels hit by Iranian fire.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is now reportedly considering a ground operation to pressure Iran into opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Notably, the latest attacks took place far away from the Strait of Hormuz. These strikes were likely carried out by Iran to demonstrate its complete fire control over the entire Persian Gulf, not just the waterway.
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