Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, Axios reported, citing two US officials.

Two commercial ships suffered significant damage but had no casualties, the report said, citing a US official.

Separately, Britain's maritime security agency said a tanker caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile east of Oman's Limah early on Tuesday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said early on Tuesday that the tanker was struck on its port side while travelling southbound about 8 nautical miles (15 km) east of Limah, causing a fire. No casualties or environmental impact had been reported.

The attack was the latest targeting a vessel moving through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime.

Suspicion over the attack immediately fell on Iran, which is suspected of attacking other ships using a route close to the Omani shore despite warnings from Tehran to ships that only their route was safe in the waterway.

Iran's joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes.

"Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels," the Iranian statement then said.

It also said that interference by US forces in the strait "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction."

The reports underscored the risks to shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes. Commercial vessels have come under attack during the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, despite an interim agreement that included safe-passage provisions.

Indirect US-Iran talks ​ended last week without any public sign of headway toward ​a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to ⁠create space for diplomacy following the US and Israeli strikes that ​triggered the conflict.

President Donald Trump said on Monday the US would either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

'READY TO FIRE AT YOU'

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned ships via maritime radio over the weekend that "our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you," the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, quoting from a recording it obtained.

One of the vessels under attack appeared to be Al Rekayyat, a liquefied natural gas tanker owned and managed by Nakilat , also known as Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd, which operates one of the world's largest LNG shipping fleets, the WSJ said, adding that the ship had been hit on the port side, at the top of the engine room.

"Engine room fire and full of smoke. Unable to assess further damage. All crew are safe and mustered on the starboard side," the WSJ quoted from a recording.

The vessel was at the mouth of the strait, in the Gulf of Oman, when it was attacked, the WSJ reported.

Nakilat, QatarEnergy and Qatar's International Media Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside normal business hours.

Investors have been keeping a close eye on talks between the US and Iran over the fate of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while tracking the recovery in Gulf oil exports.