Ship struck by drone off coast of Qatar: defence ministry

DOHA: A drone struck a commercial vessel in Qatari waters on Sunday, the country’s defence ministry said, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards threatened to target US vessels in the region.

Arch-foes the United States and Iran have been clashing in the Gulf and trading accusations in recent days, as Washington waits for Tehran to respond to its latest negotiating position.

“A commercial cargo vessel in the country’s territorial waters – northeast of Mesaieed Port – coming from Abu Dhabi, was targeted by a drone on Sunday morning. The incident resulted in a limited fire on board the vessel, with no reported injuries,” the Qatari ministry said on X.

“The vessel continued its journey toward Mesaieed Port after the fire was brought under control,” it added, without providing details on the drone’s origin.

Also read: US, Iran no closer to ending war as Gulf clashes flare

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre had earlier said a bulk carrier reported being hit 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha by an “unknown projectile”.

“There was a small fire that has been extinguished, there are no casualties. There is no reported environmental impact,” the agency said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Iran’s Fars news agency reported, citing an unidentified source, that “the bulk carrier that was struck near the coast of Qatar was sailing under the US flag and belonged to the United States”.

The incident comes after a US fighter jet on Friday disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers in the Gulf of Oman to prevent them from continuing to Iran.

Iran’s Guards then threatened on Saturday to target US sites in the Middle East and “enemy ships” if its own tankers came under fire.