Fourth Tanker Ablaze in Hormuz After Mine Strike, IRGC Says
The navy’s public relations office said the vessel disregarded repeated radio warnings not to use the southern passage. The mine triggered a powerful explosion and left the ship burning, according to the statement.
The IRGC said the tanker was trying to leave the strait through what it described as an unauthorized southern route.
Separately, a maritime security monitoring body, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), reported that an unidentified projectile hit a vessel 40 nautical miles south of Iran’s Lavan Island at 1800GMT. The projectile struck the port side and set the ship on fire, UKMTO said. The crew was safe, and no environmental impact had been reported.
It remains unclear whether the UKMTO incident involves the tanker described by the IRGC.
Iranian authorities have reported a string of incidents involving commercial vessels in and around the strait in recent weeks, including tankers allegedly damaged by naval mines.
The strait links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and ranks among the world’s most important maritime routes for oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Maritime tensions have persisted since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Iranian retaliation across the region. Disputes over maritime security and navigation arrangements in the strait have continued despite later diplomatic efforts and a memorandum signed by Washington and Tehran in June.
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