IRGC: Oil tanker hit by two drones on fire in the Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) reported on Monday that an oil tanker hit by two drones was on fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global oil and gas trade, has been virtually blocked since the outbreak of war in the Middle East on Saturday.

The US-linked Athe Nova tanker is on fire after being hit by two drones, the IRGC told Iranian media. The statement did not explicitly state that the Revolutionary Guard attacked the ship, but the incident was mentioned in a report on the unit's military activities.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Saturday banned transport through the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world's traffic flows under normal conditions. crude oil consumed worldwide. There have been several attacks on tankers. At least 150 such ships have been stranded in the Persian Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea, through which raw materials are further transported to the Indian Ocean.

On Saturday morning, Israel and the US launched airstrikes against targets in Iran. Tehran responded by attacking Israel and several Persian Gulf states, including American bases located there.

The conflict caused a significant increase in the price of oil and gas on world markets on Monday. Iranian airstrikes hit infrastructure related to the extraction and processing of these raw materials in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Both of these countries, as well as, among others, Iraq and Israel have temporarily limited or suspended oil and gas production. (PAP)

adj/ kar/