Tanker Fire Friday: Iran Claims At Least Two More Attacks In Strait of Hormuz
Tensions continue to soar in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian military forces claimed a series of aggressive maritime actions on Friday, or what we might call another Tanker Fire Friday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has newly announced that it intercepted and halted two commercial tankers for straying into "unauthorized routes" in the southern stretch of the strait.
The IRGC has further said Friday that a supertanker caught fire after striking a naval mine. State IRNA writes, "This is the third tanker that has suffered an explosion and fire on Friday due to passing through an unauthorized route, the IRGC Navy said in its statement."
"This super tanker, carrying more than two million barrels of oil, has been abandoned at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz and is currently burning," it added.
Iran is essentially telling international shipping that it's 'our route or no route' - and these fresh satements come after Iran said three tankers exploded the day prior.
At this point, there's been well over a half-dozen, or possibly even a dozen, tanker damage incidents in regional waters this week. The pace of attacks has been so intense that identities and locations of each incident has been difficulat for maritime monitors to ascertain.
Neighboring regional forces are stepping in to handle the immediate fallout at sea, with Oman's navy having launched an emergency operation to rescue 25 crew members from a targeted vessel lying over 120 miles off its northern coastal area.
European media reports have featured more details of the new Friday incidents as follows:
According to Iranian state media, the Guard claimed the tankers had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and were attempting to leave the strait through routes opposed by Tehran, with the support of the U.S. military.
The Guard said the vessels continued sailing despite repeated radio warnings before encountering trouble in what it described as unsafe areas.
It provided no details about the tankers’ identities, their flags, the precise cause of the incidents or the condition of their crews.
The US has reportedly been warning Gulf allies of a possible new round of strikes on Iran to come. However, they must brace themselves for the inevitable Iranian retaliation.
Oil prices climbing throughout Friday...
It's uknown what's being communicated from the Gulf to Washington behind the scenes, but GCC rulers are not likely to welcome any new escalation, while busy trying to rebuild and protect energy infrastructure.