CENTCOM Denies Iran Claim That Tanker Hit Mines in Strait of Hormuz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The US military on Monday denied Iran's claim that an oil tanker attempting to pass through the southern stretch of the Strait of Hormuz struck mines, caught fire and came to a halt.

“No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X, describing the claim as “yet another IRGC attempt to intimidate regional commercial shipping through disinformation.”

The statement referred to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Tehran has relied on to enforce restrictions on shipping through the strategic waterway amid the ongoing conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained a major flashpoint since the conflict began, with Iran blocking the key maritime chokepoint through which roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil supplies normally pass.

In response, the US military has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports and has sought to reopen the shipping corridor. Several supertankers have shifted to an alternative transit route established in Omani waters along the southern edge of the strait to avoid Iranian restrictions.

The latest dispute follows US strikes on Sunday against two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island. The US military said the IRGC had been using the launchers to fire sea mines into shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military positions in Jordan, including the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases, while also claiming to have targeted locations in the United Arab Emirates. Most of the incoming projectiles were intercepted, according to US and regional officials.

The competing claims underscore the heightened risks facing commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, where any disruption could have significant consequences for global energy markets and maritime trade.