Three tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to the British military, in a sharp escalation around one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

One liquefied natural gas tanker travelling off Oman caught fire after being hit by a projectile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Two other tankers were also hit, including one reportedly struck by a drone. No injuries were immediately reported.

Qatar condemned the attack on the Qatari tanker, identified in reporting as Al Rekayyat, and accused Iran of responsibility. Iranian state television said the tanker had been attacked after ignoring warnings, but Tehran had not officially claimed the assault.

The incidents come as the United States and Iran remain locked in a fragile standoff over the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage linking the Gulf to open waters. In peacetime, about a fifth of traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.

Iran has repeatedly warned vessels to use routes it has approved. Maritime authorities have also told shippers that a southern route near Oman remains available for traffic, setting up a dangerous contest over who controls safe passage through the strait.

The attacks threaten to complicate efforts to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Tuesday that talks on a final deal would not begin while threats continued, after President Donald Trump warned Iran to make a deal or face further US action.

The dispute is unfolding during the funeral period for Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death has intensified political pressure inside the country and sharpened anti-US rhetoric among mourners.

For energy markets and Gulf states, the immediate concern is whether Tuesday’s strikes remain isolated attacks or become the start of a wider campaign against shipping. Even limited disruption in the Strait of Hormuz can send political and economic shockwaves far beyond the Gulf.