Cargo ship reports being struck in Strait of Hormuz

International Cargo ship reports being struck in Strait of Hormuz Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 08/04/26 7:51 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Ryan Mancini - 08/04/26 7:51 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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A cargo ship reported Monday that it was struck by a projectile while passing through the Strait of Hormuz overnight, as the U.S. and Iran are at odds over holding new peace talks.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) stated that the cargo vessel reported that it was “hit by an unknown projectile” at 2 a.m. local time, about 23 miles northeast of Al Khasab in Oman. The maritime agency said the incident was under investigation.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the agency stated in an alert on its website.

The incident was the latest of 26 reported to UKMTO since July 1.

The British maritime security firm Ambrey, which also had a brief report of the incident, added that the ship was damaged during the strike.

Talks between Iran and the U.S. were expected to take place on Monday, with President Trump telling reporters that these talks will be the “last chance” for Iran to come to the table and propose a solution.

“I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” the president said in the Oval Office. “Very tough to do what we have planned, still planned. We’ll see what happens.”

Trump also noted that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry, however, established that it was speaking with Oman, not the U.S., “and are focused on reaching an understanding on a route that would allow shipping traffic to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said during a Monday press conference.

“We defend our borders, but we do not seek to expand the war,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on state media, according to Reuters.

Trump blasted Iran’s leaders on social media, calling them “unbelievably duplicitous!”

Both countries signed an interim peace deal in June that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, unfreeze Iranian assets and lift sanctions. A nearly two-week barrage of strikes from both sides, including Iranian attacks on Gulf partners and Houthi attacks following the establishment of a blockade in the Red Sea to halt the passage of Saudi oil brought forward a new round of hostilities.

The president’s regular vacillation between threats to devastate Iran and a push toward the negotiating table has cast doubt on the U.S.’s ability to strike a lasting deal to end the conflict.

Over the weekend, Trump called off an attack on Iran that he later said on Monday would have been “the biggest attack since World War II” before saying talks were to be held later on Monday after the “perimeters” of a deal were reached.