Iranian Army: A fire broke out in an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman

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The Iranian military reported that an oil tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to cross a restricted area, state television reported.

The television quoted a military statement, “A few hours ago... the army’s naval forces’ surveillance teams spotted an illegal oil tanker in which a fire broke out,” adding that “the violating tanker had turned off its tracking systems and attempted to pass through the prohibited area.”

Another oil tanker was also subjected to a fire yesterday due to the switching off of tracking systems.

On Wednesday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced the sinking of a container ship that it said collided with a sea mine while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz via an “unpermitted” route.

The Public Relations of the Revolutionary Guards Naval Forces said that the container ship, which it described as “violating,” was trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz “through an unauthorized and dangerous route in the Strait of Hormuz, which led to it colliding with a sea mine, and causing a severe fire to break out on board.”

It also indicated that "the ship, which was carrying more than 2,500 containers, sank in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the severity of the fire," according to what was reported by the Iranian Mehr Agency.

The announcement did not specify the name of the ship or the flag it flies.

The sinking of the ship came in light of the escalating risks facing navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with the continuing military tension between Iran and the United States, and increasing fears of sea mines and restrictions imposed on the crossing of ships.

Last Sunday, the Revolutionary Guard announced that a giant oil tanker collided with a sea mine while trying to cross the strait via the southern route, which led to an explosion and a fire in its engine room. While the Iranian "ISNA" agency reported at the time that the tanker was the third that the Revolutionary Guard described as a "violation" and had been on fire since Saturday, which means that 4 tankers and ships had sunk since the beginning of this week.

These incidents come in the context of repeated Iranian threats to ships attempting to cross without adhering to the restrictions imposed by Tehran, while concerns are growing about the safety of vital sea lanes and the impact of continued escalation on global energy supplies.