A tanker was struck by projectiles off the coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, the British military said Thursday, while Iranian state television reported that two tankers and a towboat had hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here. Tanker struck in Persian Gulf A tanker was struck by two projectiles off Qatar’s coast in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, the British military said, adding that the status of the crew was unconfirmed. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack took place 50 nautical miles (57 miles; 92 kilometres) north of Qatar’s city of Madinat ash Shamal. It did not identify the tanker or which country’s flag it was sailing under. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. It also said the extent of the damage and any environmental impact were unknown. UKMTO said in a report last month that it was “struggling to accurately report” the true number of attacks as the majority of ships now refuse to report them. South Korea’s military proposes expanding anti-piracy mission South Korea’s military has proposed expanding the operational area of an anti-piracy naval unit deployed near Somalia to include waters south of Oman, saying that the conflicts in the Middle East have led to increased pirate activity. Defence Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said Thursday that the possible expansion of the Cheonghae unit’s mission would not involve South Korea in the U.S. war with Iran. She stressed that South Korea would not directly participate in military operations to ensure freedom of navigation near the Strait of Hormuz unless “allowable circumstances” were created, describing those conditions as an end to the war with Iran or an agreement to stop the fighting. Under the military’s proposal, the South Korean operational area would be expanded to include waters south of Oman, with its farthest point near the port of Duqm, more than 650 kilometres (403 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz. The unit would also receive additional equipment and personnel, including patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team, Chung said. The changes would require approval from President Lee Jae Myung and the country’s legislature. Iranian state TV says 3 ships have struck naval mines Iran’s state TV said Thursday that two oil tankers and a towboat caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It did not provide details about possible casualties or the vessels’ flags. The claim could not be independently verified. Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard, the report said the Guard also seized two U.S. drones in the airspace over the strait. The Guard routinely makes similar statements about targeting vessels as well as damaging oil tankers in the strait. Tehran closed the strait, through which some 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply passed during peacetime, after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February, launching the war. Assailant kills security officer in Jordanian capital An assailant attacked and killed a security officer near the Sri Lankan Embassy in Jordan’s capital Amman on Thursday, in what Jordanian authorities described as a terrorist act. Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said a member of its forces was assaulted with a sharp object and died “in a cowardly terrorist attack.” It said a preliminary investigation indicated the attacker had been “planning to commit the terrorist act against the officers of the General Security Directorate.” Jordan’s state-run Al-Mamlaka TV reported that the assailant, who has been arrested, attempted to seize the weapon from the security officer. A second security officer intervened, and both the assailant and the second officer sustained injuries, Al-Mamlaka said. The embassy confirmed the attack took place in its vicinity, but didn’t elaborate. The attack comes weeks after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in southern Jordan, killing nine people and wounding dozens more. Foreign ministers of Iran, Oman discuss Strait of Hormuz The foreign ministers of Iran and Oman have discussed ways to resume navigation through the crucial Strait of Hormuz that lies between the two nations, Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passed during peacetime, has been largely closed to shipping since the Iran war erupted in February. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and “reviewed the latest developments in communications and discussions aimed at reaching practical, political, and technical understandings that would lead to resuming navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without obstacles,” the ministry said. The two had met in Tehran in August to discuss a framework for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Israel’s President Herzog holds meetings for coalition government Israeli President Isaac Herzog continued the second day of meetings Thursday with each of the political parties to hear their recommendations for which candidate will receive the first mandate to form a coalition government. The president chooses who will get the first chance to form a government — most likely current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The ultra-orthodox party United Torah Judaism refrained from recommending Netanyahu or Eisenkot during the faction’s meeting with Herzog Thursday morning, likely tipping the scales in favor of Eisenkot. United Torah Judaism was part of Netanyahu’s coalition in the last government but stressed that their main concern is ensuring that ultra-Orthodox men are not conscripted into the military. Even if Eisenkot is tapped with the first opportunity to form the coalition, he faces an uphill battle and weeks of negotiations to form a majority coalition, and is not guaranteed to be the next prime minister.
