Iran's Navy said an oil tanker is burning east of the Strait of Hormuz after it struck naval mines.
The Navy said the vessel had disabled its tracking systems and was trying to enter an area that Iran describes as restricted.
Mines in the Strait
Iran: Tanker on Fire After Striking Mines
Iran's Navy says the tanker had disabled its tracking systems and was trying to enter an area Iran describes as restricted.
Iran has made similar claims before. On October 24 the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that two oil tankers carrying more than 4.5 million barrels of crude had hit mines on a southern route through the strait that Iran had not authorized. The Guards said the explosions caused severe fires and disabled the engine rooms of both ships. They also said the crews abandoned the vessels on the strait's southern coast.
On October 17, the IRGC Navy announced that a supertanker had struck a mine and caught fire in Hormuz. Iran's official news agency IRNA said both tankers in that incident had turned off their positioning and radar systems and used a route Iran had not approved. State media said the two ships were carrying about 2 million barrels of crude. The Jerusalem Post noted at the time that there was no independent confirmation of the Iranian reports.
