An explosion occurred on a Panama-flagged oil tanker while it was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in two crew members missing. Iran claimed that the ship struck a naval mine.
On Tuesday, 15 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Oman's Maritime Security Center revealed that the Panama-flagged oil tanker "El Gaia" was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, causing an engine room fire. Two crew members went missing, while 23 others were rescued.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed on Monday that the oil tanker collided with a naval mine in the sea, causing a fire as it traveled through an area they designate as controlled and unsafe.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported receiving notification of a fire on a vessel attacked by an unknown explosive device while passing through the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday morning.
Earlier this month, Iran made a similar claim regarding an incident where two Filipino crew members died aboard a Saudi supertanker oil ship that exploded while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi authorities disputed this, arguing the ship was targeted by Iran.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported that since the outbreak of conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran in late February, there have been at least 22 confirmed crew deaths from 79 attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas.
The Strait of Hormuz, normally a route for transporting over one-fifth of the world's oil and gas, is effectively closed due to Iranian missile and drone attacks on cargo ships, along with US naval blockades of Iranian ports.
The US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement in June to end hostilities and reopen the strait, but the deal collapsed within weeks after Iran resumed attacks on cargo ships and the US reinstated its naval blockade.
Iran continues to insist it will not relinquish control over this strategic waterway and targets ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz by avoiding Iranian territorial waters.
Source:bbc