Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says an oil supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil caught fire after striking a naval mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an “unauthorised” route.
The incident comes amid escalating tensions in the strategic waterway, a major global oil shipping route, as Iran and the United States maintain opposing positions over maritime access and restrictions on Iranian shipping.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the US Navy’s blockade has effectively prevented all Iranian ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia following attacks on the country by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
In Yemen, the internationally recognised government says the Houthis fired two missiles at Aden airport, a day after a deadly attack on the city’s presidential palace.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Israeli settlers have continued attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including an assault on an American journalist and the burning of olive trees during the ongoing olive harvest.
The reported incidents underscore growing security concerns across the region, with maritime shipping, civilian infrastructure and communities increasingly affected by the widening tensions.
Source: Al Jazeera
