Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said late Monday that an oil tanker had struck a sea mine and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz.
The tanker El Gaia was travelling along the southern route through the strait, which had been mined by Iran, state broadcaster IRIB reported, citing the IRGC. The entire vessel went up in flames following the detonation of the mine, it said.
The US military rejected that account.
“The Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable. This weekend, Iran struck the tanker again with a drone while the ship sat in waters of the coast of Oman,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.
“The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner. The IRGC’s false claim is yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait.”
The IRGC’s naval command reportedly stated that “the Strait of Hormuz is closed and remains under our control.” It had previously warned against using the southern route. The navy has mined the southern passage, declared only a northern route along the Iranian coast to be safe and is charging fees for passage.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a central point of contention between Tehran and Washington in the Iran war. Before the war, around a fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the strait. Liquefied natural gas and fertilizer from the Gulf states are also exported via this route.
A meeting of foreign ministers from Gulf states scheduled for this Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz was cancelled at short notice.
Credit: Yahoo News