Two commercial tankers were damaged in separate attacks while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, prompting emergency responses and raising fresh concerns over maritime security in one of the world's busiest energy shipping routes.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of an incident about eight nautical miles east of Lima, Oman, where a southbound tanker was struck on its port side by an unidentified projectile.

The impact sparked a fire on board the vessel. UKMTO said no injuries or pollution had been reported and that authorities had launched an investigation into the incident.

British maritime authorities also confirmed that the tanker caught fire after being struck while passing through the Strait of Hormuz and was later able to continue sailing toward the Gulf of Oman.

According to Axios, citing a U.S. official, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at least two missiles at commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, seriously damaging two ships. The official said there were no casualties.

The report identified the vessels as the LNG tanker Al Rekayyat and the Saudi crude oil tanker Wedyan, both of which sustained significant damage.

The U.S. official also said Washington could respond with airstrikes targeting Iranian facilities, although no official decision has been announced.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a significant share of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports passes.

According to Reuters, six Japan-linked supertankers carrying around 12 million barrels of crude oil, along with two chemical tankers, a vehicle carrier and a container ship, transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday despite growing security concerns.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated the possibility of military action against Iran, saying Washington would either reach an agreement with Tehran or "finish the job."

Commercial shipping in the region had been severely disrupted after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes and Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports. Maritime traffic resumed after the two sides reached a framework agreement on June 17, but renewed security incidents have prompted many international shipping companies to route vessels through Omani waters while maintaining close coordination with regional security forces. (ILKHA)