A U.S. official claimed Iran attacked the ship, likely with a missile.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Despite a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries in June aimed at ending the war, talks broke down and the U.S. and Iran renewed strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz as the primary flashpoint.
Across the region, fighting in Yemen between the Iranian-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces has intensified in recent weeks and the militia group has also launched strikes on Saudi Arabia.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said a cargo ship sunk on Wednesday after striking a naval mine as it was attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz via "an unauthorized and hazardous route."
The vessel was carrying more than 2,500 containers and sank in waters south of the strait Wednesday morning due to the intensity of the fire, according to the IRGC.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center issued new warnings Wednesday after it received reports of two ships being struck by projectiles in separate incidents on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz.
The UKMTO posted two "time-late" reports described as "verified" of container ships struck by unknown projectiles on Tuesday.
A 19-ton container ship and a 50-ton container ship both sustained minor damage after each was struck by an unknown projectile, the UKMTO said. No injuries were reported, and the ships were able to continue their passage through the strait.
On Wednesday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy claimed a container ship moving toward an unauthorized route through the strait "exploded after hitting a naval mine," according to Iranian state-run media.
The IRGC said the container ship sank on Wednesday morning.
-ABC News' Othon Leyva
The Iran-backed Houthi forces claimed on Wednesday to have launched attacks on targets in or near the Saudi capital, Riyadh, including King Khalid International Airport and the Aramco refinery, as well as an Aramco facility in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia.
In a post on Telegram on Wednesday, a Houthi spokesperson said the forces had used a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, to carry out the attacks.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni coalition forces spokesperson said in a post on X on Wednesday that they intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
The UKMTO said it received a report that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities are investigating the incident.
"Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," the UKMTO said Tuesday.
