Iran says fourth tanker hit mine, caught fire in Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on Friday that a fourth oil tanker had struck a naval mine and caught fire while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, the latest in a series of maritime incidents that have disrupted traffic through the vital energy corridor amid ongoing hostilities between Tehran and Washington.

IRGC Reports Fourth Tanker Incident

The IRGC's public relations office stated that the supertanker, laden with more than 2 million barrels of crude oil, had ignored repeated radio warnings against using an unauthorized southern passage through the strategic waterway. The vessel was struck by a mine, triggering a powerful explosion that left it burning, according to the statement issued by the navy.

The Iranian military said the incident marked the fourth time a tanker had caught fire in the strait since early Friday, though it did not identify the vessel or its operator. Tehran has reported several similar incidents involving commercial vessels in recent weeks, alleging naval mines were responsible for damage to multiple tankers attempting to transit the congested shipping lane.

UK Agency Reports Projectile Strike

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported earlier on Friday that a vessel had been struck by an unidentified projectile approximately 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island at 1800GMT. The projectile hit the vessel's port side, causing a fire on board, the UKMTO said, noting that the crew remained safe and no environmental impact had been detected during initial assessments.

It remained unclear whether the UKMTO incident was connected to the tanker reported by the IRGC, or if they represented separate attacks in the contested waterway. The UKMTO warning did not specify the vessel's name, destination, or flag state, and Iranian officials made no mention of a projectile attack in their account of the fourth tanker incident.

Strategic Waterway Tensions

The Strait of Hormuz — which connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman — handles a significant portion of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making it one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. Maritime tensions have persisted since the United States and Israel launched military attacks against Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian retaliation across the region and repeated disruptions to commercial shipping routes.

Despite diplomatic efforts that produced a memorandum signed by Washington and Tehran in June, disputes over maritime security and navigation arrangements in the strait have continued unabated. Iranian authorities have tightened control over vessel movements in the waterway, warning ships against deviating from approved routes and threatening force against unauthorized transits.