Two supertankers carrying Saudi oil were struck by projectiles late Monday while transiting outbound through the Strait of Hormuz. The ships were hit near Oman within minutes of each other, marking the latest attacks on vessels in the Persian Gulf.
The strikes occurred amid renewed fighting between Iran and the United States. These events are viewed as a sign of renewed hostilities around the critical waterway.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed that a tanker was attempting to pass through the waterway illegally when it was struck by two mines and caught fire. In the wake of the attacks, oil prices rose more than 2 percent.