The latest claims build on a series of weekend statements in which the IRGC said three other oil tankers, including two supertankers carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude each, caught fire and suffered engine room explosions after striking mines on unauthorized routes with their tracking systems switched off. Both the IRGC and Iran's regular Navy have declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and demanded that countries coordinate with Iranian forces for passage.
US Central Command has rejected Tehran's assertions that it controls the waterway or is hitting vessels with mines, stating that primary shipping lanes remain clear of mines and that an IRGC projectile, rather than a mine, struck the 2,500-container Singapore-flagged ship GFS Pride before it sank under tow last week. While CENTCOM said US forces helped about 400 merchant ships and tankers carrying more than 100 million barrels of crude cross the strait over a seven-day period, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that transit volume sits 70% below prewar levels and that a majority of targeted vessels are refusing to report attacks.