A liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier was struck by a projectile near the coast of Oman while exiting the Strait of Hormuz. This incident heightens shipping industry concerns over the safety of this vital waterway and simultaneously tests the agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at halting such attacks.

According to informed sources, the vessel Al Rekayyat was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday. The sources requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. An alert issued by security consultancy EOS Risk Group confirmed the attack occurred approximately 8 nautical miles (15 km) east of Limah, Oman, resulting in a subsequent fire on board, and characterized the event as a drone or missile strike.

Ship tracking data indicates the vessel, owned by the Qatari state-owned shipping company Nakilat, appeared to have its transponder switched off at the time of the incident. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had previously issued an alert but did not disclose the name of the involved vessel.

Both QatarEnergy and Nakilat did not respond to requests for comment.

The Strait of Hormuz has been a focal point of attention since the United States and Israel began targeting Iran in late February. For shipowners, decisions on whether to route vessels in and out of the Persian Gulf to load cargo from major global oil and gas producers largely depend on their assessment of the security situation in this critical chokepoint.

Following the news, European natural gas prices rose as much as 4.1% during Asian trading hours, while Brent crude futures also saw a modest increase.

The attack occurred as U.S. President Donald Trump was en route to Ankara, Turkey, to attend a NATO leaders' summit. The war between the U.S. and Iran is expected to be a key topic of discussion. Trump has previously publicly criticized several NATO member states, arguing they have not provided sufficient support to the U.S. in confronting Iran.

Simultaneously, U.S.-Iran negotiations remain paused. Iran began holding large-scale funeral ceremonies several days ago for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died on the first day of the conflict in late February.

Axios earlier reported that two merchant ships were hit by Iranian missiles but did not disclose the vessels' names. Citing an unnamed U.S. official, Axios stated both ships sustained significant damage but there were no casualties.