Ship hit in Hormuz as millions march for ayatollah; Iran says no talks unless Trump halts threats

A ship sustained damage in the Strait of Hormuz, an incident occurring as millions of Iranians participated in funeral processions for their slain leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran declared that peace talks would not resume unless U.S. President Donald Trump ceased his threats to restart the war.

Britain's UKMTO maritime security agency reported that a tanker was struck by a projectile approximately 8 nautical miles off the coast of Oman, causing a fire. This marks the first reported incident in the Strait of Hormuz since mourning ceremonies began for Khamenei. Three sources indicated to Reuters that the hit vessel was a Qatari tanker carrying liquefied natural gas, with the crew safe but the engine room ablaze. Axios reported that Iran had fired on two ships, though neither Washington nor Tehran directly commented.

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing instability in Gulf shipping lanes. This comes more than four months after the U.S. and Israel initiated a war, ostensibly to halt Iran's regional threats. Iran's leadership has demonstrated a firm grip on the country during the week of mourning for Khamenei, who was killed along with family members early in the war. Caskets of the supreme leader and his family were paraded through Qom, with mourners chanting vows of vengeance and displaying signs calling for Trump's death.

Trump, meanwhile, stated that the war was paused under an interim peace deal for 60 days of negotiations. He recently threatened to resume bombing, telling reporters, "We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job." Indirect talks in Qatar concluded last week without significant progress toward a lasting peace.

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We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job. OK. And it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people.