Explosions rocked an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea early Friday, in what the state news media initially described as a missile attack, raising fears about increasing tensions in an already volatile region. But hours later, official accounts were far more cautious, raising questions about what exactly had befallen the vessel.

The circumstances of the attack remained murky, punctuated by contradictory details on whether the ship was on fire, whether an oil spill had been stopped and even whether the tanker had been hit by missiles in the first place.

The National Iranian Oil Company, which owns the tanker, said the ship had been struck by missiles at 5 a.m. and again at 5:20 a.m., state-run news outlets reported, adding that it had suffered damage about 60 miles from Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.

The crew members were safe and the ship was in stable condition, the state news media reported, even though its two main tanks had been struck and the hull was damaged. The ship was heading back to Iran, state media reported later in the day.