TEHRAN, Nov 8, (Net) : Three oil tankers caught fire on Sunday in
the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran regularly targets ships that transit without
its authorisation, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
Since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, Tehran has severely
restricted traffic through the strategic waterway, insisting vessels use
routes authorised by the Islamic republic.
The United States has in response imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports
and helped tankers travel the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth
of global oil consumption.
“Since the early hours of this morning, three non-compliant tankers have
exploded and caught fire while they were sailing in the illegal channel in
the Strait of Hormuz,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological
arm of Iran’s military, said in a statement.
The Guards did not specify the names or nationality of the tankers.
Also on Sunday, British maritime agency UKMTO reported that a tanker had
caught fire in the strait — off the coast of Khasab, Oman — a day earlier.
“Military authorities reported the tanker is on fire which has resulted in
the evacuation of the crew,” the agency said in a statement, also reporting
another tanker struck by an “unknown projectile” on Saturday.
Emirati state media said on Sunday that 22 people had been rescued from a
burning vessel in the Gulf of Oman and were in stable condition.
AFP was unable to confirm if the various reports referenced the same
incidents.
Tehran has made multiple announcements in recent weeks saying that ships have
caught fire in the Hormuz strait.
US Central Command said last month that it had helped Gulf countries export
1.5 billion barrels of oil via Hormuz since the summer and has recently said
that all mines have been cleared from the waterway.
Iranian state news agency IRNA separately reported late on Saturday that
sounds of explosions were heard in parts of the country.
“Sounds resembling explosions were heard in Qeshm, Sirik, Jask and Bandar
Abbas. The cause of the sounds remains unknown,” the news agency wrote on
Telegram.
Officials confirmed an “impact” in the port city of Jask, the IRNA said.
US President Donald Trump previously talked up the possibility of resuming
heavy strikes on Iran but has since walked back from the idea.
Nevertheless, the US military has conducted occasional limited strikes.
