Oman rescued 25 crew members from a burning crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, as Iran said it had halted three oil tankers attempting to cross the waterway without permission.
The Omani Maritime Security Centre said in a statement that it had evacuated the people aboard the RITI, a vessel Oman said was flying the Panamanian flag and which the tracking website MarineTraffic identified as a crude oil tanker. It is unclear whether one of the vessels Iran says it halted was the tanker whose crew Oman evacuated.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said all three halted vessels were carrying oil and that one was a supertanker. It said the ships had been stopped after "incidents" or after hitting mines. "Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorised route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait," the IRGC said.
In a separate statement, the IRGC said a third tanker, a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of oil, "exploded and caught fire today as a result of attempting to pass through an unauthorised route". To the east of the strait, Iran's navy said it struck and destroyed an unmanned enemy craft on Friday.
Iran has repeatedly warned vessels against passing through the strait without Tehran's permission and said last month that ships attempting to do so would face "destruction". Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.
The US military denies the naval mine claims. On Friday, US Central Command chief Brad Cooper said the strait's "internationally recognised primary transit routes" had been successfully cleared of Iranian sea mines.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global seaborne oil, put energy shipments and crew safety at risk.
- The rival accounts from Tehran and Washington point to a continuing military confrontation in the waterway months after the war began on February 28.
- It remains unclear whether the burning tanker was one of the vessels Iran says it halted, leaving the cause of the fire unconfirmed.
Background
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and carries a large share of the world's seaborne oil. Since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway, and it said last month that vessels passing without authorisation would face "destruction".
Key Perspectives
Oman: rescued 25 crew members from the burning tanker RITI.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: says three oil tankers were halted after "incidents" or after hitting mines while using unauthorised routes, and that a supertanker "exploded and caught fire" under those circumstances.
US military: denies the naval mine claims, and US Central Command chief Brad Cooper says the strait's "internationally recognised primary transit routes" have been cleared of Iranian sea mines.
What to Watch
- Whether the RITI, the tanker Oman rescued, proves to be among the three vessels Iran says it halted.
- Whether Iran reports further tankers stopped or damaged, and how the US and its allies respond.
- Whether the rival Iranian and US accounts of mines in the strait are supported by later evidence.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedOman rescued 25 crew members from a burning crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Oman has rescued 25 crew members from a burning crude oil tanker as ships continue to be targeted in the Strait of Hormuz. The Omani Maritime Security Centre said in a statement on Friday that it had evacuated the people aboard the RITI merchant ship.”
- SupportedIran said it had halted three oil tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz using unauthorised routes.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The incident came as Iran said three oil tankers had been halted while attempting to use “unauthorised routes” to cross the Strait of Hormuz.”
- SupportedThe US military denies the naval mine claims.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The US military denies the naval mine claims.”
- SupportedThe Omani Maritime Security Centre said it evacuated the people aboard the RITI.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Omani Maritime Security Centre said in a statement on Friday that it had evacuated the people aboard the RITI merchant ship.”
- SupportedIt is unclear whether one of the vessels Iran said it halted was the tanker whose crew Oman evacuated.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “It is unclear whether one of the vessels was the tanker whose crew were evacuated by Omani maritime authorities.”
- SupportedThe IRGC said all three vessels were carrying oil and one was a supertanker.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said all three vessels were carrying oil and that one was a supertanker.”
- SupportedThe IRGC said two oil tankers trying to use the unauthorised route encountered incidents and were halted south of the strait.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorised route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait,” the IRGC said in a statement.”
- SupportedThe IRGC said a third tanker, carrying more than two million barrels, exploded and caught fire after attempting to use an unauthorised route.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Later, in a separate statement, the IRGC said a third tanker – a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of oil – “exploded and caught fire today as a result of attempting to pass through an unauthorised route”.”
- SupportedIran's navy said it struck and destroyed an unmanned enemy craft east of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Meanwhile, to the east of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s navy said it struck and destroyed an unmanned enemy craft on Friday.”
- SupportedIran said last month that vessels trying to pass through the strait without authorisation would face “destruction”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “It has claimed responsibility for attacks on ships and said last month that vessels attempting to pass through the strait without authorisation would face “destruction”.”
- SupportedTehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.”
- SupportedOn Friday, US Central Command chief Brad Cooper said the strait’s internationally recognised primary transit routes had been cleared of Iranian sea mines.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On Friday, United States Central Command chief Brad Cooper said the Strait of Hormuz’s “internationally recognised primary transit routes” had been successfully cleared of Iranian sea mines.”