Attacks on commercial shipping resumed in the Strait of Hormuz, with two vessels struck in separate incidents that have heightened fears over the security of the shipping lane and threatened to derail recent diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.

Qatar accused Iran of carrying out a drone attack on its liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Al Rekayyat, while US officials said Iran's military also fired missiles at two commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway overnight.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a tanker travelling south near Oman's coast in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile, triggering a fire. A US official later said a second commercial vessel had also been struck by an Iranian missile. Both ships sustained significant damage, although no casualties were reported.

The incidents mark the first reported attacks since Iran agreed less than three weeks ago to suspend strikes in the Strait of Hormuz under a memorandum of understanding reached with the United States. A separate one-week agreement between Washington and Tehran to halt attacks in the waterway also expired recently, raising concerns that the fragile truce has collapsed.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry blamed Iran for the attack on the LNG carrier Al Rekayyat, describing it as an unacceptable assault on international navigation and global energy security.

The vessel reportedly caught fire after a drone struck its engine room while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

A second vessel, a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker believed to be the supertanker Wedyan, was also damaged off the coast of Oman. The cause of the damage was not immediately confirmed.