British military says bulk carrier near Qatar caught fire after being struck by projectile

A bulk carrier caught fire on Sunday after being struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar, the British military has said.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reported a small fire on board the vessel, which was subsequently extinguished, with no casualties. The incident occurred 23 nautical miles (43 kilometres) northeast of Qatar’s capital, Doha.

This attack marks the latest in a series of incidents targeting vessels in the Persian Gulf, following a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Just last Friday, the US struck two Iranian oil tankers, alleging they were attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports.

In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy reiterated its warning on Sunday, stating that any assault on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a "heavy assault" on US bases in the region or enemy ships.

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Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump renewed threats of full-scale bombing should Iran fail to agree to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz and dismantle its nuclear programme.

The region has seen heightened tensions since the US and Israel launched a conflict on 28 February, leading Iran to largely block the vital global energy waterway and causing a surge in fuel prices and market instability worldwide.

Negotiations between the US and Iran and currently hanging in the balance, with both nations continuing to engage in hostilities.

Trump has claimed he is expecting to “hear very soon” from Iran about a new ceasefire proposal.

Trump says Washington is waiting for Tehran to respond to a proposal on ending the war.

“I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight”, the US president told reporters on Saturday. “So we’ll see how that goes.”

The war has now been ongoing for over two months after starting in late February, and an agreement to end it is still yet to be reached.