Ankara: A cargo ship came under gunfire near the Iranian coast in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the second such attack on Wednesday, as reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

According to Anadolu Agency, the incident was reported by the captain of an outbound cargo ship who stated that the vessel had been 'fired upon' approximately 8 nautical miles west of Iran's coast at 0638GMT. Following the attack, the vessel came to a stop, although no damage was reported and all crew members were confirmed to be safe.

Earlier on Wednesday, at 0355GMT, UKMTO had received another report of an incident involving a commercial vessel approximately 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman. The master of a container ship reported an approach by a gunboat associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The UKMTO has recorded a total of 35 incidents affecting vessels in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman since February 28. Out of these, 22 were classified as attacks, while 13 were noted as suspicious activities.

These incidents occur amidst heightened regional tensions following a joint offensive by the US and Iran against Iran on February 28, which led to retaliatory actions by Tehran on US assets and bases throughout the Middle East. On April 8, a two-week ceasefire was declared, and direct talks between the US and Iran were held in Islamabad on April 11-12, though without reaching an agreement.

Despite briefly lifting its control over the Strait of Hormuz last Friday, Iran reinstated it following US President Donald Trump's announcement that the blockade of Iranian ports would remain. On Tuesday, President Trump extended the truce with Iran indefinitely, just a day before it was set to expire.