Conflict & Security
Oil tanker burns after Hormuz mines, Iran army says
Iran's army said Tuesday that an oil tanker struck naval mines and caught fire while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz by a route Tehran had not authorised.
In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the army said the tanker had switched off its tracking systems and entered what it called a prohibited and dangerous area east of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement did not identify the tanker or report casualties.
Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz and has targeted vessels it says try to cross without its authorisation since the Middle East war began on February 28. The Iranian military has previously reported tankers striking naval mines in areas Tehran considers off-limits.
Uncertainty notes
The tanker was not identified in the supplied information.
No casualty figure or independent confirmation of the Iranian army's account was supplied.
The scale of damage and fire was not reported.
Source
AFP news report published on .