Reuters
source: reuters
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched a new attack on Saudi Arabia on Monday and Gulf Arab states postponed planned talks with Iran, raising concerns the Middle East conflict could spread further and threaten global oil supplies.
Underscoring the volatility of shipping through the region, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines upon passing through what it called a prohibited zone south of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Monday without saying when the incident occurred.
But the U.S. military’s Central Command immediately said the report was false and the tanker was “struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable.” Reuters could not immediately contact the ship’s owners in Dubai to verify either account.
The world’s most important oil shipping lane has been mostly shut down since the war began on February 28 as Iran has threatened vessels that transit the waterway without its authority.
The tanker, which the IRGC identified as El Gaia, had been on a list of 77 ships that Iran said had violated its operating protocols in Hormuz, warning that they could face fines, detention or confiscation on future transits.
