Then came the threat. A massive fire, the IRGC said, is the fate of any tanker that ignores Iran’s rules in the strait.
Those “rules” are Iran’s own. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway that before the war carried close to a fifth of the world’s oil. Since the war began in February, Tehran has tried to dictate who may pass and by which route. It treats the southern route near the coast of Oman as illegal and demands that ships sail along the Iranian coast instead.
None of the IRGC’s account has been independently confirmed, and the Guards did not name the ship. What is confirmed comes from the British navy’s shipping monitor, UKMTO, which has reported two attacks on outbound tankers in the strait in two days.
On Saturday, the master of an outbound tanker reported being struck on the port side by an unknown projectile, causing a fire on board. The crew were reported safe. Damage and environmental impact were unknown at the time of the report.
On Sunday, a company security officer reported that another outbound tanker had been struck on the port side by an unidentified projectile, damaging the vessel. All crew were reported safe, no environmental impact was reported, and authorities are investigating.
UKMTO did not name either ship or say who fired. It is not clear whether either is the tanker the IRGC is talking about, and a projectile is not a mine.
The attacks are the latest in a string. On Friday, the Guards said the NV Sunshine, a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier, was hit on the southern route and suffered a major fire in its engine room and propulsion system. The International Maritime Organization says a ship has been struck in the strait nearly every day this month.
And Iran says it is widening the field. In the same Friday statement, the IRGC Navy warned that action against ships using unauthorized routes will no longer be limited to the Strait of Hormuz, and that violators will be pursued across the region.
The United States is enforcing its own blockade in the other direction. On Saturday, an American fighter jet disabled the Panama-flagged cargo ship Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman after its crew ignored repeated warnings, U.S. Central Command said. The ship had earlier left an Iranian port. CENTCOM said the strike knocked out the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew.
The IRGC blames the U.S. military for the tension at sea.
