Iranian ship struck in Hormuz; talks between Tehran, neighbours postponed

An Iranian cargo vessel was struck early Sunday off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said, and a plan by Tehran to brief neighbouring countries on its contested efforts to manage shipping in the strait was postponed.

The attack, which the reports said killed one and wounded four, drew attention back to the strait after threats to shipping in the region intensified last week when Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a "terrorist enemy" for Sunday's attack.

There was no immediate comment by the US military, which has struck Iranian-flagged vessels during its blockade of Iranian ports and faces a new threat from Iranian ballistic missiles launched at its warships.

Qeshm Island, about 22 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas, is key to Iran asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Hours before the attack, Iran's government remai