Tanker Strikes Mine, Catches Fire in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s army has reported that an oil tanker caught fire after striking a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where Tehran has restricted shipping traffic since the Middle East war began in late February.

In a statement broadcast by Iranian state television on Wednesday, the army’s naval forces said the vessel had entered an area declared unsafe and prohibited by Iran before hitting the mine.

“Early this morning, a violating oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in an unsafe, prohibited area in the east of the Strait of Hormuz,” the naval forces of Iran’s army said. 

The incident comes as Iran continues to insist that ships passing through the strait must use routes approved by the Islamic Republic.

Tehran has also targeted vessels accused of transiting the waterway without its authorisation.

In response to Iran’s restrictions, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and supported the movement of oil tankers through the strait, which ordinarily handles about one-fifth of global oil supplies.

The US military recently said it had cleared all mines from the waterway.

Iran’s latest report follows several similar announcements in recent weeks in which its authorities claimed that vessels had caught fire after striking mines in the strait.

On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an influential branch of Iran’s military, also reported that three other oil tankers had caught fire in the waterway.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the region, has been helping ships navigate the strait. 

Last month, it said its efforts had enabled Gulf countries to export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the waterway since the summer.