Second Supertanker Hit a Mine in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's IRGC Says, as U.S. Insists the Strait Is Open

Tehran says two supertankers carrying over two million barrels each have hit mines in 24 hours for sailing routes it never approved. CENTCOM's commander says the strait is controlled by the U.S. and its partners and "remains open for business."

A second oil supertanker has struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz in 24 hours, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said Saturday, as Tehran insists the world's most important oil waterway is closed and Washington insists it is open and under American control.

According to the IRGC, the latest vessel — carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil — was attempting an unauthorized route through the strait on Saturday morning after switching off all its positioning and radar systems. The mine detonated in the ship's engine room, the Guard said, triggering a massive explosion and bringing the tanker to a halt. Hours earlier, the IRGC had reported a first supertanker, also carrying more than two million barrels, ablaze after striking a mine on Friday evening, and Fars News Agency posted video appearing to show the vessel on fire. The Guard also claimed a container ship sank on Wednesday after hitting a mine. None of the mine claims has been independently confirmed.

"The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the consequence of defying Iranian regulations in the Strait of Hormuz is burning in the fire of trust in the terrorist US army."

The American commander in the region tells a completely different story. "Let me be clear, the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran. It remains open for business," CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a Friday update, noting that 400 ships had transited in seven days and more than 100 million barrels of oil had been assisted through — while Iran, he said, has lost $25 billion with no sea exports or imports moving.

Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that one or two ships were attacked on Friday in the central Persian Gulf, one of them hit by rocket-propelled grenades fired from a smaller boat, with no injuries reported. What is not in dispute is the stakes: a huge share of the world's oil passes through the strait, and every mine claim — proven or not — pushes energy prices, and the risk of a wider confrontation, higher.

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