The key facts

  • IRGC Navy: fourth tanker damaged in the strait since Friday began
  • According to Iran, the vessel was carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil
  • UKMTO earlier reported a vessel hit by an

Fourth incident in 24 hours

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported on Friday that a fourth tanker in a single day struck a mine and caught fire while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Anadolu reports. According to the IRGC Navy's press service, the supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil repeatedly ignored radio warnings to use the southern passage through the strait and was sailing along an

Two reports from the same area

Earlier, UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) reported that at 18:00 GMT a vessel 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island was struck in its port side by an unidentified projectile; a fire broke out on board, the crew is safe, and no environmental consequences were recorded. Anadolu notes that it is unclear whether this report is connected to the tanker announced by the IRGC.

Context of tension

According to the agency, in recent weeks Iranian authorities have reported several incidents involving commercial vessels in and around the strait, including, by their claims, damage to tankers from naval mines. The strait, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world's key routes for oil and LNG shipments. Tensions have persisted since February 28, when the United States and Israel struck Iran, followed by Iran's response in the region. Despite diplomatic efforts and a memorandum signed by Washington and Tehran in June, disputes over maritime security and navigation procedures in the strait continue. All claims about mines come from the Iranian side; the publication contains no independent confirmation of the circumstances of the incident.