The claims follow a fire on a commercial oil tanker on Oct. 11, which was detected approximately 40 km north of Sohar in the Gulf of Oman. The ship was in an anchorage area where vessels frequently conduct ship-to-ship transfers under US escort before traversing the strait. Fars News reported that the tanker was struck by a projectile, while other reports cited drone attacks.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Iran Targets 5 to 6 Vessels Nightly to Stop US Oil Smuggling
Commodities10 days ago
A senior Iranian security official accused the US military of facilitating illegal energy transports in the Arabian Sea. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated that Iranian forces target 5 to 6 vessels nightly to disrupt an oil smuggling operation involving the US and UAE. He claimed that small boats are used to transfer oil to larger tankers and asserted that Iran maintains absolute control over the Strait of Hormuz.
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