IRG say struck tanker transiting Hormuz via ‘illegal route’

TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that they had struck a tanker attempting to take an “illegal route” through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has sought to blockade since the outset of the Middle East war.

Maritime trackers also reported on Friday that an unknown projectile sparked a fire aboard a ship off the UAE coast, but named a different vessel.

In a statement carried by official media, the Guards said Iranian forces “have taken control of the administration of the strait”.

“In carrying out this mission, a few hours ago, a giant LPG carrier named NV Sunshine, owned by NatWit, which was attempting to transit via the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz, was struck,” they added.

Iran has attempted to impose its control over the Hormuz over the course of the war, insisting that vessels seek its permission to cross via its preferred routes.

However, ships have increasingly been willing to risk transiting via an alternative route hugging the strait’s southern coast.

Britain’s UKMTO maritime agency said on Friday that a ship 13 nautical miles (24 kilometres) off the UAE’s Al Jazeera Al Hamra, southwest of the strait, was struck by a projectile, which caused a fire on board.

“Status of the crew, damage assessment and environmental impact are unknown at present. Authorities are investigating,” UKMTO said in a statement.

British security firm Vanguard also reported the incident, and identified the vessel as the Panama-flagged crude tanker GEM NO.2.

The incident comes days after a tanker was hit off Qatar, around 500 kilometres (300 miles) west of the vital strait.

Ships in the Gulf and those attempting to transit the strait — the only maritime route in or out of the oil-rich region — have come under repeated attack since the US and Israel sparked the Middle East war in late February.

Iran has blockaded the strait ever since, though some vessels do manage to cross, and US media has reported on American military efforts to protect ships on the southern route.

The United States has set up its own counter-blockade of Iranian ports and occasionally fires on vessels linked to Tehran.

Hormuz is vital to the world economy, with around a fifth of the planet’s oil and liquefied natural gas passing through the strait before the war began.