Qatari gas tanker struck in Gulf on Friday evening, state media says

A Qatari tanker was attacked with “unidentified objects” while transiting Gulf waters, the country’s state news agency reports.

The attack on Friday evening struck a liquefied natural gas carrier, Al Mayeda, that belongs to the Qatar Gas Transport Company, Qatar News Agency says.

Since the US-Israeli war on Iran broke out in February, Tehran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and wider Gulf in an effort to assert control over shipping.

It says ships must obtain its permission to transit.

In response, the US has been blockading Iranian ports.

None of the crew members onboard the vessel struck on Friday were injured and there was no environmental impact from the attack, the report says.

The ship was in a “safe condition” and operational, the Qatari company is cited as saying.

Qatar, a mediator in the war, has stepped up diplomatic efforts in recent days in an attempt to revive negotiations between the United States and Iran.