One sailor has been killed, and four others remain missing after a reported US strike on an Iranian cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.
Mohammad Radmehr, governor of Minab county in southern Iran, said on Friday that the body of one of the missing sailors from the overnight incident had been recovered by rescue teams.
“Unfortunately, according to the latest reports received, the body of one of those missing following the US aggression against a civilian cargo boat has been found,” Radmehr said, Mehr reported.
He added that efforts by local groups and rescue teams were continuing to locate the remaining missing sailors.
Earlier, Radmehr said a civilian cargo vessel belonging to residents of the Kolahi district in Minab had been struck near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman during what he described as US actions in the area.
The vessel caught fire after being hit in waters off Minab county, he said.
Escalating tensions over Hormuz
According to the Iranian official, 15 sailors were aboard the vessel at the time of the incident, with 10 injured sailors transferred to a hospital.
The incident came amid escalating tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz following overnight exchanges involving Iranian and US forces.
The United States announced its blockade of Iranian ports after peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough last month.
The strait has become a major bargaining chip in negotiations to end the war, with Iran currently weighing a US proposal to extend the current truce in the Gulf to allow talks on a final settlement of the conflict.
