Iran Guards Report Tanker Fires in Strait of Hormuz; UAE Vessel Damaged

Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported Tuesday that two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway where Tehran restricts unauthorized traffic. The Emirati state oil company ADNOC later said one of its vessels was damaged in an attack in UAE territorial waters. The Guards said the tankers were traveling on unauthorized routes and were halted by explosions, with one supertanker striking a naval mine. The second tanker was allegedly under US military escort during a covert passage, though Iran did not identify the ships' names or origins. The incident follows months of heightened tensions since late February, with Iran limiting strait traffic and the US imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports. US Central Command recently claimed all mines were cleared and helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the waterway.