Oil Tanker Catches Fire in Strait of Hormuz as Another Is Hit by Unknown Projectile in Gulf Waters

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that an oil tanker had exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported that the tanker was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and attempting to navigate the strategic waterway along a route Tehran described as unauthorized. The reports claimed that the vessel’s transit was illegal, according to the Iranian account.

In a separate incident, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that another tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile approximately 68 nautical miles northeast of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in the Arabian Gulf.

The agency confirmed that all crew members were safe and had been evacuated from the vessel. It also stated that no reports of environmental damage or impact resulting from the incident had been received.