An oil tanker is burning in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by drones, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announces
Iranian soldiers in the Strait of Hormuz on April 30, 2019. Illustrative image. PHOTO: ATTA KENARE / AFP / Profimedia
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said an oil tanker, identified as the Honduran-flagged Athe Nova, was burning in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by two drones, Iranian news agencies reported on Monday, according to Reuters.
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The strait is the world's most important oil export route, connecting the largest oil producers in the Gulf region, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
An IRGC statement said the ship was acting “in unison with America” and identified it as the Athen Nova.
VesselFinder and other ship-tracking data providers showed that the Athe Nova, a 96-metre oil tanker, was in the area shortly before the attack.
An Iranian military spokesman did not explicitly say the ship was hit by Iranian drones, but mentioned the incident in a report on state television about the Guards' military operations in the Gulf.
Iranian media suggested the tanker was supplying fuel to US Navy ships.
Reuters says it was unable to immediately contact the registered owner of the Athe Nova, and the tanker's manager has so far made no official announcement.
Although Iran has denied closing the route in retaliation after the US and Israeli airstrikes against it, the strait is de facto closed, with ship operators avoiding the conflict zone.
