By Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON — The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has disputed an Iranian claim that a Panama-flagged oil tanker was struck by a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the vessel was hit by an Iranian missile and later targeted by a drone.

CENTCOM said the oil tanker El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and was hit again by a drone over the weekend while it was anchored in waters off the coast of Oman.

The statement contradicts the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which claimed the tanker had struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest dispute comes amid heightened tensions around the strategic waterway, a major route for global oil shipments, as the United States maintains military operations in the region.

US President Donald Trump said Iran still wants to reach a deal with Washington but indicated that any decision to resume engagement would depend on the United States.

“I will determine whether or not,” Trump said, without providing further details.

Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei, meanwhile, said the situation surrounding oil and the Strait of Hormuz had changed significantly. He said Iran would not enter negotiations with the United States until its demands were met.

The tensions have also spread across the wider region.

Yemen’s Houthi group claimed it had seized the islands of Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea. The group also said Saudi Arabian aircraft had carried out 129 air raids over the past 48 hours.

The competing claims could not immediately be independently verified.

The developments underscore the continuing risk to commercial shipping in the Gulf and Red Sea as tensions between Iran, the United States and their regional rivals remain high.