DUBAI: An attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz damaged its engine room, a British maritime agency said Sunday, without specifying when the incident occurred.

Iran has sought to impose control over the vital shipping lane since the start of its war with the United States and Israel.

It has repeatedly targeted vessels in the waterway that it accuses of transiting without its authorization, while the United States has struck ships allegedly attempting to skirt a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

An “unknown projectile” struck the ship but the crew were unharmed, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said.

No environmental impact had been recorded from the attack, it added.

The agency did not specify the date of the incident, the vessel’s origin or destination, or whether it was an oil tanker or LNG carrier.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited before the war, remains a key sticking point in negotiations between Iran and the US.

While attacks on ships in the Hormuz have continued, the United States has not launched strikes on Iran since September 1.