Tanker fired on after 'being approached' by 2 Iranian gunboats: British maritime agency

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Saturday that it had received a report of a tanker being fired upon by two gunboats linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in waters between Iran and Oman.

"The master of a tanker reports being approached by two IRGC gunboats, with no VHF (radio) challenge, which then fired upon the tanker," the agency said in a statement on US social media platform X, with a map of the area in question, around the Strait of Hormuz.

Officials are investigating the incident, which took place 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman, it said, adding that the tanker and its crew "are reported safe."