Iran's IRGC Navy says four tankers catch fire in Strait of Hormuz
USO•Iran's IRGC Navy said four oil tankers caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz while using what it called unauthorised routes. The claims could not be immediately verified, and it was unclear whether vessels cited in separate UKMTO reports were among the four.
1. Tankers reported burning
Iran's IRGC Navy said four oil tankers caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz while attempting to use what it described as unauthorised routes. In its latest statement, it said a fourth vessel carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil hit a mine, suffered a powerful explosion and was burning. The claims could not be immediately verified.
2. Separate incident reports
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while completing an outbound transit. It had earlier reported that a vessel was hit on its port side about 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island, causing a fire; the crew were reported safe, with no reported environmental impact. It was not clear whether those vessels were among the four cited by the IRGC Navy.
3. Other claims disputed
Iranian state media said Iranian forces downed and captured a US drone over Qeshm Island, and Iran said it had destroyed an unmanned US vessel in the eastern Strait. The US military's Central Command denied the vessel claim, saying its unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East were accounted for. The Strait of Hormuz carries around one-fifth of global oil supplies, and tensions have persisted there since US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February.
