The Sultanate of Oman announces the loss of two sailors and the rescue of 23 others after an attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Sultanate of Oman announced the loss of two sailors and the rescue of 23 others after an oil tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Omani Maritime Security Center said that the Panama-flagged tanker “El Gaia” was towed to an Omani port on Tuesday after a fire broke out in its engine room, adding that it was targeted 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 kilometers) north of the Musandam Peninsula.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said on Monday that the tanker collided with sea mines and caught fire while passing through what it described as a prohibited and unsafe route.

But the US military confirmed that the Iranian story was incorrect, and said that the tanker was struck by an Iranian missile last month, and then was targeted again by a drone over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said that it had received a report of a fire breaking out on board a ship that was hit by an “unknown” projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Earlier this month, Iran said that a similar accident resulted in the killing of two Filipino sailors on board a Saudi-owned giant oil tanker in this vital waterway.

The Revolutionary Guard said that fire broke out in the tanker "Sidr" after it collided with a sea mine, but the Saudi authorities said that Iran targeted it, while maritime security companies reported that it was hit by projectiles north of Musandam.

The International Maritime Organization says that at least 22 sailors have been killed in 79 confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and throughout the Middle East since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran at the end of February.

Skip the most read and continue reading

Most read

Most read end

Skip the podcast and keep reading

Worth paying attention to

An in-depth explanation of the most prominent events and topics, to help you understand the most important variables around you and their impact on your life

Episodes

End podcast

Also on Tuesday, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported that "hostile drones" targeted two fishing boats in the strait overnight, near the Iranian port of Gorgan, about 80 kilometers northeast of Musandam.

Fars Agency, which is linked to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted the Deputy Governor of Hormozgan as saying that a number of fishermen were reported missing following the incident, and that a search and rescue operation was underway.

Later, a spokesman for the US Army's Central Command, Centcom, told the Axios news site that his forces destroyed two boats that attempted to seize a piloted boat.

Captain Tim Hawkins said: “Small Iranian boats recently tried to seize an American naval boat, but they were unsuccessful after Central Command forces responded with force.”

The Strait of Hormuz, the passage through which a fifth of global oil and gas shipments usually pass, was closed due to Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial ships, and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

In June, the United States and Iran reached a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the strait, but it collapsed within weeks after Iranian attacks on shipping traffic resumed and the United States reimposed its blockade.