A CARGO vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a suspected projectile on Wednesday, triggering a fire onboard and forcing its crew to abandon ship and request emergency assistance, as fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel intensified across the Middle East.
Reuters cited The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations saying the ship’s master reported the vessel had sustained damage after being hit by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The maritime incident comes as the conflict between Iran and its adversaries entered its twelfth day, with renewed waves of air strikes and missile attacks across Israel, Lebanon and several Gulf states.
The fighting has raised fears for global energy markets as the Strait of Hormuz — a critical shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s fossil fuel supply passes — has effectively been disrupted by the hostilities.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that it would block oil shipments from the Gulf if attacks by the United States and Israel continued, raising concerns that the war could escalate into a broader economic crisis.
Despite those warnings, global markets have shown signs of cautious optimism. Crude oil prices, which surged sharply earlier in the week, retreated as investors speculated that U.S. President Donald Trump may seek a swift resolution to the conflict.
Adding to market confidence, the International Energy Agency has reportedly proposed the largest coordinated release of strategic oil reserves in its history to stabilise energy prices, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing officials familiar with the discussions
Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the report.
Nevertheless, the military confrontation continued to intensify across multiple fronts.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they launched missile strikes on Tuesday evening targeting U.S. military installations in the region, including the Al Udeid air base in Qatar and the Al Harir base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The Guards also reported conducting drone strikes against U.S. personnel gathered at Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates and at the Juffair naval base in Bahrain. Iranian state media later reported additional attacks against American military facilities in Bahrain early Wednesday.
Separately, a drone struck a major U.S. diplomatic compound in Iraq on Tuesday, though a U.S. official said there were no injuries and all personnel had been accounted for.
The U.S. Central Command also released video footage showing American strikes against Iranian vessels accused of laying naval mines near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said 16 such vessels had been destroyed during the operation.
At the same time, Iran continued to launch missiles toward Israel, triggering widespread air raid warnings across the country.
Millions of Israelis were forced into bomb shelters overnight as sirens sounded and air defence systems intercepted incoming projectiles in the skies above several cities.
Explosions from interception systems lit up the pre-dawn sky, although it was not immediately clear whether any of the missiles struck populated areas.
Israel also intensified its military operations against Iranian-backed groups in the region. Israeli aircraft carried out new strikes on targets in Beirut aimed at weakening Hezbollah, the militant organisation that has fired rockets into Israel from Lebanon in support of Tehran.
The war began on February 28 with coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel that killed Iran’s long-serving supreme leader. Tehran has since named Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor, and the new leader has appeared at large public rallies organised by supporters of the government.
Despite longstanding dissatisfaction among many Iranians with the ruling establishment, there has been little sign of renewed mass protests since the war began.
Iranian authorities have warned that any demonstrations during the conflict would be treated as acts of collaboration with foreign enemies.
Police chief Ahmadreza Radan issued a stern warning on state television.
“Anyone taking into streets at the enemy's request will be confronted as an enemy not protestor,” he said.
“All our security forces have their fingers on the trigger.”
Iranian authorities have also detained dozens of people, including a foreign national, on accusations of espionage for what officials described as hostile powers.
According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, the conflict has already inflicted severe damage on the country.
The Pentagon said seven American soldiers have been killed during the conflict so far, with approximately 140 more wounded.
As the confrontation expands across the region and threatens one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, diplomats and analysts warn that the war risks spiralling further unless urgent efforts are made to de-escalate the fighting. - March 11, 2026
