A ship attempting to navigate a prohibited zone in the Gulf was damaged Tuesday when it collided with underwater explosives, the Iranian navy said. The military described the vessel as “rogue” and stated it had disabled its tracking systems before hitting the mines east of the Strait of Hormuz, which caused the tanker to catch fire. Iran did not identify the ship or provide details regarding casualties or the extent of the damage.
The event follows a series of claims by Tehran regarding mine strikes in the critical oil chokepoint, including an Oct 23 incident where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two supertankers carrying 4.5 million barrels of crude were disabled. While the U.S. military has questioned the validity of Iran’s mine claims, satellite images from Oct 26 showed one of those supertankers still stationary in the strait with the tug North Silver assisting it.