Strait of Hormuz: Iran says a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of oil sank after hitting a mine – unconfirmed

The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC Navy) claims that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil sank in the southern waters of the Persian Gulf after hitting a mine in the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement, broadcast by Iranian state television on Sunday, November 15, follows a series of Revolutionary Guards statements on Saturday about tankers that hit mines and caught fire. “In the last hours, two oil tankers moving along an unauthorised route in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz hit sea mines, causing powerful explosions and fire,” the statement says. “One of these ships, a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude, sank,” it adds.

The Guards did not give the names of the ships or their country of origin, nor any details about the crews. They repeat that the two tankers had switched off their navigation and identification systems and tried to pass unnoticed with the support of the US military. In the statement of the evening of Saturday, November 14, the IRGC Navy had added that, after the explosions, two more tankers planning to slip through the Strait obeyed the warnings of the Guards’ traffic control centre and turned back toward the Gulf. The claim of the sinking has not been confirmed by any independent source.

The same day the British UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) announced on X that it was aware of a report from the Indian shipping authorities of an attack on a tanker sailing east in the Gulf, before entering the Strait of Hormuz. “All crew members are safe,” UKMTO said, adding that the extent of the damage and the possible environmental impact remain unknown, and it urged passing vessels to be cautious and to report any suspicious activity. It is not clear whether this incident is connected to what the Guards announced.

Tehran has made a series of similar announcements in recent weeks about fires on ships in the Strait, which it often attributes to mines, and on Thursday, November 12 it spoke of four tankers burning within twenty-four hours. Our report on the third tanker said to have hit a mine covers the earlier claim. Iran announced on July 12 that it had closed the Strait again, after the US resumed strikes against it, and threatens to hit ships that use routes other than those it sets or pass without permission.

The United States maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and the US military says it has cleared the main transit routes of mines. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that since the summer it has helped the Gulf states export 1.5 billion barrels through the Strait. The diplomatic dimension of the dispute over the Strait was discussed at the Security Council, where the UK backed the Gulf states and called for Hormuz to be reopened.