A tanker traveling off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after being struck by a projectile, according to the United Kingdom's military.

The attack early Tuesday was the latest targeting a vessel moving through the Gulf's critical waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passed before the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February.

Iranian television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings, but Tehran did not directly claim responsibility for the assault.

Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz is safe, and it is suspected of attacking other ships that used an alternative route close to the Omani shore.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said the tanker was hit near Limah, Oman, in the strait. The projectile struck the port side of the vessel while it was attempting to travel south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.

Talks between Iran and the United States on a permanent end to the war appear to be on hold until after the burial of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28.

Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shia seminary city of Qom overnight, where mourners honored him on Tuesday.

Source: www.aljazeera.com