Iran fires missiles at commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz: report

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, Axios reported, citing two US officials.Two commercial ships suffered significant damage but had no casualties, the report said, citing a US official.Separately, Britain’s maritime security agency said a tanker caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile east of Oman’s Limah early on Tuesday.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said early on Tuesday that the tanker was struck on its port side while traveling southbound about 8 nautical miles east of Limah, causing a fire.No casualties or environmental impact had been reported.Reuters could not immediately verify the Axios report or determine whether the ships described in that report included the tanker cited in the UKMTO advisory.US Central ​Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The reports underscored the risks to shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes.Commercial vessels have come under attack during the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, despite an interim agreement that included safe-passage provisions.Indirect US-Iran talks ​ended last week without any public sign of headway toward ​a lasting peace, despite a 60-day cease-fire intended to ⁠create space for diplomacy following the US and Israeli strikes that ​triggered the conflict.President Donald Trump said on Monday the US would either reach a deal with Iran or “finish the job,” renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned ships via maritime radio over the weekend that “our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, quoting from a recording it obtained....