DOHA, QATAR — A Qatari-owned liquefied natural gas tanker was struck by unidentified objects while sailing through the Gulf, Qatar's government confirmed Sunday, the latest in a monthslong wave of attacks on commercial shipping tied to the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.

The vessel, the Al Mayeda, operated by Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat), was left in "safe condition, operational" after the strike, the company said in a disclosure published by the Qatar Stock Exchange, according to Al Jazeera. No crew members were hurt and no environmental damage was reported, but the company said the full impact was still being assessed.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a sharply worded statement condemning the strike as a "dangerous act" and said the country "reserves its right to take all necessary measures." No group has claimed responsibility, and Qatari officials say an investigation into who was behind the attack is underway.

MORE THAN 120 COMMERCIAL SHIPS HAVE BEEN HIT IN THE GULF SINCE THE WAR BEGAN IN FEBRUARY

The incident lands in the middle of one of the most dangerous stretches of the war to date. More than 120 commercial vessels have been struck in the region since fighting broke out in February, according to shipping-safety data cited by Al Jazeera, with October alone the deadliest month yet for shipping attacks — at least 29 ships hit, up from 20 in March. Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz early in the conflict and has repeatedly warned that any vessel passing through without its permission risks "destruction," a threat that escalated after the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iran's southern ports in July.

A Fragile Window for Talks

Even as the tanker strike unfolded, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was waiting on a US response to its latest proposal — described as a "2-day plan" — to reopen Hormuz to shipping, with an Iranian delegation holding talks in Doha. Araghchi called Washington's offer of renewed dialogue "a positive step."

That diplomatic opening sat uneasily alongside new threats from Tehran. Iranian officials warned of "devastating strikes" on US warships operating in the Middle East and said any ground invasion of Iranian territory would face a "killing ground," according to Al Jazeera's live coverage of the conflict. President Trump, asked about the state of negotiations, said talks were "going fine" but that he was "not in that much of a hurry" to strike a deal.

The mixed signals — a tentative path toward reopening the strait on one hand, fresh threats against US naval assets on the other — reflect how unsettled the conflict remains more than eight months after it began, with global energy markets still bracing for the next disruption each time a tanker goes dark in the Gulf.