Muscat: Oman said Friday it had rescued 25 sailors from a merchant ship set ablaze in an attack, as Iran reported three oil tankers were halted while crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Muscat's navy "carried out an evacuation operation for 25 crew members of the merchant ship RITI, flying the Panamanian flag, after it was targeted, which led to a fire breaking out on board," Oman's Maritime Security Centre said in a statement. The crew members were provided with medical care. The Marine Traffic ship-tracking website described the RITI as a crude oil tanker.

British maritime security agency UKMTO said a ship 40 nautical miles south of Lavan island in Iran was struck on Friday by an unknown projectile, causing a fire onboard. "The crew of the vessel have been reported as safe and there is no reported environmental impact at this time," the UKMTO said on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said earlier that three oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified "incidents" or hitting mines. "Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorised route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait," the IRGC said. Iran has demanded that vessels use a designated route through the strait and coordinate their passage with the country's armed forces, labelling a southern corridor closer to Oman's shores as unauthorised.

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