NEW DELHI, October 31 (Aalimi Nation) – Oman said on Friday that it had rescued 25 crew members from a burning crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed that several tankers had exploded after hitting mines in the waterway. The United States disputes that account and says the main shipping lanes are clear.
The Omani Maritime Security Centre said in a statement that it evacuated everyone aboard the merchant ship RITI. Oman said the vessel flew the Panamanian flag, and ship-tracking data identified it as a crude oil tanker. It remains unclear whether the RITI was among the vessels named by Iran.
Iran's claims and the US response
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on October 29 that three oil tankers had exploded and caught fire after hitting mines on what it called an unauthorised southern route. It said the ships had switched off radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from the Iranian navy. One of the vessels, it said, was a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of oil.
Iran's army later said a fourth tanker caught fire east of the strait after hitting mines in what it described as a restricted and dangerous area. Iran has not named the vessels, and the claims have not been independently confirmed.
US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said on Friday that the strait's internationally recognised primary transit routes had been cleared of Iranian mines. The US military denies the mine claims. A Guards spokesperson challenged Washington to back its position with evidence: "Prove the claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines with independent evidence, not a statement."
The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre also reported that a small boat attached two explosive devices to a tanker about 25 nautical miles north-east of Khasab, Oman, as it left the strait. The blasts caused an engine-room fire and briefly disabled the ship. The agency said the crew was safe, the fire was out and there was no environmental impact. Maritime security sources identified the ship as the Panama-flagged tanker Louise 1 and said limpet mines were used. No one has claimed responsibility.
Background
Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies passed through the strait, and traffic has since fallen sharply.
Diplomacy is continuing in parallel. Qatari mediators visited Tehran this week, and Pakistan's army said it was cautiously optimistic about mediation between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump has said the war will be wrapped up soon, adding that Washington needs a guarantee that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. The competing claims over mine clearance cannot be settled without independent verification, and the vessels Iran refers to have not been identified.
