TEHRAN, Oct. 31 (YPA) – Iran’s Fars News Agency reported on Saturday a significant expansion in the maritime threat zone in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that shipping routes linked to Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and the Saudi and Emirati coasts have been added to Iran’s newly designated target areas.

Citing a report by maritime security firm Orbital Daily, Fars said the Qatari vessel targeted near Lavan Island was sailing along commercial routes connecting Qatar and Bahrain with the Saudi and Emirati coasts, deep in the Persian Gulf.

The report said a tanker carrying Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) came under attack about 40 nautical miles south of Lavan Island. It was the third such incident involving an LNG carrier this October, a month that has seen the highest number of attacks recorded in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

Fars also reported that four tankers exploded on October 29 and 30: two owned by the UAE, one Qatari and one Chinese.

In a related development, the agency said a fifth tanker carrying petroleum products, the Emirati vessel Stone, received a warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), prompting it to alter its course.

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