Tanker Hit by Explosives From Small Boat in Strait of Hormuz

A small boat pulled up on the port side of a tanker sailing outbound through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. It fixed two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline, 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab in Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British navy-affiliated agency, reported. On the same day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that three oil tankers had struck mines in the strait, and it threatened a "firm response."

According to the Guards, the three tankers caught fire after hitting mines while trying to use what they called the "unauthorized southern route of the Strait of Hormuz." The IRGC said the ships had "switched off all their radar and navigation systems" and had ignored warnings from its navy.

"Facts on the ground will speak for themselves. Any provocative action backed by the aggressive and terrorist US military that disregards the regulations governing the strait will be met with a firm response," the IRGC statement read.

On the tanker, the two detonations set the engine room on fire and left the vessel temporarily disabled. The crew put the fire out. All crew members are safe, and the ship is continuing to its next port of call.

No environmental impact was recorded and that authorities are investigating the attack.

The British agency reported another attack in the strait on Monday. It confirmed that an oil tanker had been struck by gunfire and disabled in the strait the previous Thursday. The crew of that ship was also unharmed.