Qatar confirms attack on LNG carrier as ships come under fire in Hormuz and Red Sea

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson and advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Majed Al Ansari took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to name Iran as the attacker of a Qatari state-owned LNG carrier.

"The targeting of the Qatari vessel Al-Rekayyat while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz constitutes an unacceptable attack on the security and  safety of international maritime navigation, the security of global energy supplies, and a grave and explicit violation of international law," Dr Al Ansari wrote.

"We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately cease all practices that undermine regional security or threaten the safety of international maritime navigation, and refrain from endangering global energy supplies and the resources of the countries of the region in pursuit of narrow interests. We hold it fully legally responsible for this attack and for any resulting damages and consequences," he said.

US officials had earlier attributed the attack to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying the military group fired missiles at multiple commercial maritime vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. 

US-based online news outlet Axios and newspaper The Wall Street Journal published separate reports citing unnamed US officials who attributed attacks on at least two commercial ships in the strait to the IRGC.

Iranian broadcaster IRIB cited its own anonymous sources in claiming in a post on X that "the Qatari oil tanker [sic] Al-Raqayat [sic] intended to pass through the Omani route in the Strait of Hormuz with US Navy support, but was targeted after ignoring repeated warnings". The outlet said no Iranian officials have commented on the attack and reposted a 26 June report that "any transit through the strait must follow the routes announced by Iran; otherwise, the security of vessels cannot be guaranteed". 

News agency Reuters cited four anonymous sources in a report that said the Qatari LNG carrier Al Rekayyat had "suffered significant damage" during a transit through the southern Omani corridor through the strait. 

At time of publication, the only publicly available official report on a vessel attack in the Strait of Hormuz came from the Royal Navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, which said on 6 July that it had received a report of an incident 8 nautical miles east of Limah, Oman. 

"A tanker has reported being hit by an unknown projectile on the port side causing a fire, whilst travelling southbound. No casualties or environmental impact reported. Authorities are investigating," the UKMTO attack report said.

The website of Qatar’s government-owned Qatar Gas Transport Company, or Nakilat, lists Al Rekayyat as a 216,300-m3 Q-Flex LNG carrier that is wholly owned and fully managed by Nakilat and on charter to Qatargas, now known as QatarEnergy LNG. 

Equasis lists the 2009-built Al Rekayyat as owned and managed by Nakilat and flagged in the Marshall Islands. Nakilat did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident, but later released a statement confirming the attack and that there were no casualties. 

Multiple sources reported that the vessel was carrying cargo and that it had issued a Mayday distress signal for assistance. 

In the US media reports cited above, US officials claimed that the second commercial vessel allegedly hit by Iranian missile fire has also "suffered significant damage", but no casualties. 

The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center included the attack, referring to the vessel as an unnamed LNG tanker, among three attacks the naval coalition confirmed on 7 July. The JMIC raised its threat level for the Strait of Hormuz to ’severe’, it’s second most serious, based on what it called ’Iranian attacks’. The threat level indicates that an attack on a commercial vessel is highly likely. 

Red Sea attack could mark the first on a commercial vessel in the area since 2025

In reports of an earlier attack in the Red Sea, southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, the UKMTO said on 5 July that a cargo vessel had "triggered a distress alert stating that they are under attack by unknown armed assailants" and that authorities were investigating.

Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech named the vessel as the Palau-flagged bulk carrier Lady Naeima and indicated potential Houthi involvement.

"The vessel was reportedly sailing from Hodeidah when it was approached by several suspicious skiffs that closed to within approximately 20 metres before reportedly opening fire approximately 13nm off the Yemeni coast near Al-Durayhimi, an area under Houthi control," the Vanguard report said.

Equasis database lists the vessel’s owners and managers under addresses in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel is on Paris and Tokyo MOU black lists, but is not listed as sanctioned. 

Although small ship attacks and approaches have been on the rise in the region in recent weeks and the JMIC acknowledged the incident, the naval coalition maintained its moderate threat level rating for the Southern Red Sea and its substantial threat level rating for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. 

Between November 2023 and late 2025, Houthi attacks targeted more than 100 commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, and the Houthi militia attacked Israel in late March 2026 in what was interpreted as support for Iran. 

Over the past three months, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it has recorded 24 attempted and actual incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden region.

Red Sea piracy: IMO Secretary-General calls for release of seafarer hostages ’amid surge of attacks on ships’

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has appealed for urgent international efforts to secure the safe release of 44 seafarers held captive in Somali waters by pirates and armed robbers.

The seafarers are being held aboard three detained vessels: the Honour 25, Eureka and Sward, which were hijacked in separate incidents between April and May 2026 off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. 

“These incidents are a stark reminder that the threat posed by piracy and armed robbery to seafarers has not receded and continues to warrant vigilance and support for coordinated action,” Secretary-General Dominguez said, addressing the IMO Council as it met in London. “I ask for your support in securing their safe release.”