Oil tanker catches fire east of Strait of Hormuz, Iranian navy says

The Iranian navy has reported detecting an oil tanker that caught fire while attempting to cross the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz after disabling its tracking systems.

According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, the navy said in a statement today that its monitoring teams discovered the tanker during patrol and surveillance operations in the eastern Strait of Hormuz.

The statement explained that the vessel had turned off its tracking systems in an attempt to pass through a "restricted area," according to the statement's wording.

The statement added that "the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz remains under the full control and continuous surveillance of Iranian naval forces."

Yesterday, the Iranian military reported a fire breaking out on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as it tried to cross a restricted zone, according to state television.

It noted that "the violating tanker had disabled its tracking systems and attempted to pass through the restricted area," without providing details on the cause of the fire.

Tehran has effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of war on February 28 following Israeli-American strikes on Iran. In response, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.