A senior US official told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that the US military is not aware of an incident in which a tanker hit a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by Ravid.
A senior US official denied reports that a tanker struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, telling Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that the US military has no knowledge of such an incident. The denial came roughly an hour after Iranian state media and analysts began circulating claims of an attack on a tanker in the strategic waterway.
At 14:16 Jerusalem, Iran's Mehr news agency and state television reported that a tanker had been hit — initially described as an attack off Yemen, then as a mine strike on a shipping lane not approved by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Security analyst Yair Goldblatt also reported that the IRGC had struck the tanker, and later that it had hit an Iranian mine. All reports were based on single Iranian sources and remained unverified. No independent confirmation from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) or other maritime monitoring bodies was reported.
The Strait of Hormuz has been a focal point of tensions in recent weeks. The Zioneer previously reported on an unidentified projectile striking the bridge of a tanker in the strait on June 27, and on IRGC claims of attacking a US vessel in the area on July 14. Earlier on Sunday, a senior US official also denied striking the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, as reported by Ravid.
The claims from Iranian sources remain unconfirmed, with no details on the tanker's identity, nationality, damage, or casualties. The US denial does not address the source of the initial reports, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains fluid.
8 developments
- StrongUS Army rejects IRGC claim of tanker explosions in Strait of Hormuz as false
- DevelopingUS military denies Iranian claims of control over Strait of Hormuz, says shipping lane open
- DevelopingFootage emerges of US strike on empty oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingDespite US military assertion, tracking data suggests Strait of Hormuz has no traffic for 3 days
Source and signal
- Open-source intake