British military says ship caught fire after being hit off coast of Qatar

A bulk carrier caught fire after being struck by an unknown projectile near Qatar’s coast, according to UK maritime officials. The incident adds to escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf amid recent attacks on vessels and heightened US-Iran regional hostilities

Dubai: The British military said a ship caught fire Sunday after being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the attack caused a small fire on the bulk carrier, which was extinguished.

---

The attack happened 23 nautical miles (43 km) northeast of Qatar’s capital, Doha, the UKMTO said.

There were no reported casualties, it said.

It was the latest attack on vessels in the Persian Gulf since a shaky ceasefire stopped fighting between the United States and Iran.

There have been several attacks against ships in the Persian Gulf over the past week. On Friday, the US struck two Iranian oil tankers after it said the tankers were trying to breach its blockade of Iran’s ports.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy has warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on one of the US bases in the region and enemy ships.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear programme.

Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the US and Israel launched the war on Feb 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets.