. An Iranian missile has hit a tanker belonging to Qatar’s state-owned energy company.

Three cruise missiles were fired from Iran, targeting a Qatari oil tanker, the country’s defence ministry said in a statement.

“While the military intercepted two cruise missiles, the third landed on an oil tanker dedicated to Qatar Energy in Qatari waters,” the statement said. ”

The defence ministry said it was coordinating with authorities concerned to ensure that there were 21 crew members on board the tanker.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has confirmed the attack on the Qatari-owned tanker Aqua-1. The Guards said in a statement on state television that the plane belonged to Israel and was targeted.

The Gulf states have faced repeated drone and missile attacks from Iran over the past month in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes that began in late February.

Iran has targeted hydrocarbon infrastructure and shipping vessels in oil-rich Gulf states. These targets have effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz. About 20 percent of the world’s oil supply is supplied from this field.

The fuel tanker Aqua-1 said it suffered minor damage in a missile strike in Qatar’s northern waters on Wednesday morning but did not injure any crew.

The UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) said the accident took place 17 nautical miles north of Doha.

The ship was hit by two projectiles north of Ras Lafan, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) field.

The British Maritime Safety Agency said one of the projectiles caught fire but was later extinguished, and the other “did not explode in the ship’s engine room”.

Private security firms Embrey and Vanguard also said there was no explosion in the tanker’s engine room. Authorities are investigating.

Earlier, the UKMTO said the tanker had been hit by an unidentified projectile on the side of the harbour and damaged the hull above the waterline.