2 dead after Monday attack on Saudi oil tanker in Hormuz

Two Filipino sailors were killed when a Saudi oil tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, according to Saudi Arabia's national shipping company. The vessel, SIDR, was transiting the strategic waterway on Monday when unidentified projectiles struck it, killing the two crew members. Greek security firm Marisks had previously reported that unknown projectiles had hit the ship on Monday.

This violence follows weeks of escalating tensions between the US and Iran, with Iran disrupting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz through its blockade, while the US maintains a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Despite six months of ongoing conflict, both sides remain at an impasse, with Iran continuing to disrupt shipping and the US persisting with its counter-blockade.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed that two oil tankers caught fire after striking mines while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The US has reiterated its attacks on Iran this week, with Tehran retaliating in the Gulf, primarily targeting US assets. Iran has demanded service fees for ships and attacked vessels it believes are attempting to bypass its preferred route through the waterway.

Previous attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which was previously open to transit, led to the collapse of a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran in April.