Iran’s military says oil tanker on fire in Gulf of Oman

Iran’s military on Thursday said an oil tanker had caught fire in the Gulf of Oman as it was attempting to pass through an area deemed prohibited, according to state television.

“A few hours ago… surveillance teams of the army’s navy identified a non-compliant oil tanker that had caught fire,” state television cited a military statement as saying.

“The offending tanker had switched off its tracking systems and was attempting to pass through the prohibited zone,” it added.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or who was responsible.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the region and is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports, did not immediately comment.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the boundaries of the prohibited zone in September, after security chief Mohsen Rezaei proposed the measure.

In an interview with state television at the time, Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said the zone would cover “part of the Sea of Oman and another part of the Arabian Sea, along the route that can lead to the Strait of Hormuz”.

Tehran had said non-compliant vessels in the zone would face sanctions, without explicitly threatening military action against them.

Iranian naval forces have repeatedly targeted vessels they accused of using unauthorised routes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has declared closed since the outbreak of war with the US in February.