IRGC Claims Tanker Exploded After Hitting Naval Mine in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia exploded after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported that the vessel had left a route designated by Iran. U.S. Central Command rejected the claim, saying the tanker had been hit by an Iranian missile the previous month and then attacked by a drone off Oman. The vessel was being towed, and 13 of its 14 Indian crew members had been rescued, according to reports.