An Iranian source cited by The New York Times says the IRGC launched a drone at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz after Oman authorized an alternative shipping route without coordinating with Tehran. The IRGC also halted three foreign oil tankers, ordering them back into the Persian Gulf, and ordered two Panama-flagged vessels to alter course. Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi warned safe passage cannot be guaranteed outside Iranian-approved routes.
An Iranian source cited by The New York Times has confirmed that the Revolutionary Guards launched a drone at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz this week, after Oman authorized an alternative shipping route without coordinating with Tehran, according to a report that first emerged Friday. The same source told the Times that the strike effectively halted all maritime movement through the strait. The Zioneer reported earlier Friday that the strike was intended to disrupt or stop vessel traffic using the Omani route.
The Zioneer has tracked the Strait of Hormuz crisis across multiple reports this week. On Friday morning at 07:26 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published its first dispatch — an Iranian official telling the Times that Tehran was furious at Oman for allowing vessels to bypass IRGC coordination, and that a drone had been launched at a vessel. By 07:26 Friday, The Zioneer had run three consecutive updates, each refining the account: first the unverified official claim; then a report specifying the strike targeted the alternative route itself; and finally a confirmed source naming the motive as the Omani route dispute. By 09:23 Friday, The Zioneer published an article citing the same Iranian source confirming the drone strike. The latest dispatch adds that the IRGC also halted three foreign oil tankers and ordered two Panama-flagged vessels to alter course.
The confrontation over the strait has been escalating for weeks. As The Zioneer reported on Wednesday, President Trump claimed 19 million barrels of crude crossed the strait in a single day, setting a record, and on Tuesday said negotiations with Iran were proceeding from a 'position of absolute power' after declaring the waterway open. These statements followed weeks of U.S.-Iran tensions that included U.S. strikes on Iranian air defense systems, the downing of a U.S. helicopter, and the disclosure of a secret operation to seize Iranian oil tankers, all reported by The Zioneer earlier this month.
It remains unclear whether the drone strike caused casualties or significant damage to the targeted vessel. The report also said the UN International Maritime Organization paused a ship evacuation operation after a container ship was struck near Oman by what is believed to have been an Iranian drone projectile, damaging bridge windows but causing no casualties.
8 developments
- StrongIran fires warning shots at US vessels in Strait of Hormuz
- StrongUKMTO reports vessel strike near Strait of Hormuz; no casualties
- DevelopingCargo ship reportedly struck by Iranian drone in Strait of Hormuz, official tells CNN
- StrongIranian source threatens to attack any vessel crossing the Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Internal intake