Israel's Zodiac Maritime said on Friday that a ship it operated had been attacked in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members.

Earlier, the Israeli Army Radio said that the Mercer Street ship - which was attacked - is owned by Japan, but operated by the Israeli ship company "Zodiac Maritime" owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.

The radio added that the ship was empty of cargo and on its way to one of the UAE ports, and a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense told Al Jazeera that the ministry was investigating reports of the attack.

The British Ministry of Defense said the ship was targeted in an attack off the coast of Oman, adding that it was still investigating the reported attack.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations, run by the British Royal Navy, issued a brief statement saying that an investigation was underway into the incident, which occurred late Thursday night northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, but gave no further details.

The site is located - according to the statement - more than 300 kilometers southeast of the Omani capital, Muscat.

There was no immediate comment from the Sultanate regarding the attack.

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, did not respond to a request for comment.

The incident comes amid escalating tensions over the nuclear agreement with Iran, and the stalled negotiations on re-according in Vienna, since former US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw his country from the agreement in 2018, and there have been a series of attacks on ships in the region.