An LNG tanker struck a mine and exploded on Friday while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on a route Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy called unauthorized, according to Iranian state media cited by Reuters. The report did not identify the vessel or describe the extent of damage.
Iranian state media said the tanker was using an “unauthorised and dangerous route.” The incident follows a rise in attacks on vessels carrying energy products through the strait over the past month, with Iran reporting incidents nearly every day.
On Thursday, Iran’s military said four oil tankers had been hit by explosions after ignoring warnings and entering restricted areas. Tehran has maintained that it controls transit through the waterway.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator and Parliament Speaker, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that navigation through the strait would never return to pre-war conditions. He said the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea did not apply there and that rules were governed by the two littoral states. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States did not need a deal with Iran and claimed it had “got their Strait.”
The reported blast came days after Kpler data showed 31 LNG tankers crossed the strait carrying exports last month, the highest total since February and up from 23 in September. Qatar’s LNG loadings at Ras Laffan exceeded 2.7 million tons in October, according to Kpler, compared with nearly 6.2 million tons exported by the country in February.
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