OMM Newsroom
Iran’s Navy said another oil tanker caught fire on Thursday in a restricted area east of the Strait of Hormuz, alleging that the vessel had attempted to navigate the Gulf of Oman with its tracking systems switched off.
Monitoring teams detected the burning tanker during patrol and surveillance operations east of the strategic waterway, the navy’s public relations office said in a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster “IRIB”. The vessel was reportedly crossing what the navy called an “unauthorized area”.
The navy did not identify the tanker, its flag or operator, or say what caused the fire. It gave no information about possible casualties or the crew’s condition.
Iran’s Navy said the Strait of Hormuz remained under the “full control and surveillance” of its forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.
The announcement followed a similar report on Tuesday, when the navy said a tanker had caught fire east of the strait after allegedly entering a restricted area with its tracking systems disabled. On Wednesday, the IRGC Navy said a container ship carrying more than 2,500 containers sank after striking a naval mine while attempting to take an unauthorized route south of the strait.
The incidents come amid continued tensions between Iran and the United States over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for energy and commodity supplies and an issue in negotiations between the two countries. A war began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, followed by a ceasefire in April. Clashes between Washington and Tehran later resumed as negotiations stalled, despite the sides signing a framework agreement in June.
