The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO, by its acronym in English), under the British Navy, reported this Thursday that a vessel had sunk after suffering a fire on board off the coast of Oman, in the middle of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the agency detailed in a note, the incident was recorded nine nautical miles, about 16.5 kilometers, north of Jasab, in Oman, and it specified that the vessel was a dhow, a type of traditional sailing vessel of Arab origin.
"The ship was involved in an incident that caused a large fire on board. This led it to list and sink," UKMTO said, which insisted that the crew "has been safely evacuated". "Vessels are advised to navigate with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO, while the authorities carry out the investigation," it added.
Subsequently, the Revolutionary Guard has assured that, in the last 24 hours, three ships have struck naval mines while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz via an "unauthorized route in the southern area of the strait".
"These tankers deactivated all their radar and navigation systems and, disregarding the warnings of the Revolutionary Guard Navy, were trying to cross the unauthorized southern route of the Strait of Hormuz," the corps indicated in a statement released by Iranian public television.
In this context, it insisted that the companies owning the vessels "should not pay attention" to the "inventions" of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which maintains that there are no naval mines in the area, and stressed that "the reality on the ground is evident".
CENTCOM had earlier rejected the accusations from Tehran regarding several ships damaged by naval mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated that the area is "free of mines".
"During the last few days and weeks, media controlled by Iran have spread Iranian claims according to which commercial vessels would be colliding with naval mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. These claims are false," it said in a message published on social media.
Likewise, he has underscored that "all internationally recognized main transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of naval mines by American forces and remain in that state". "Thousands of commercial ships have used these transit routes without incident and continue to do so to this day", he has added.
As a rejoinder, the spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Hosein Mohebi, has stated on social media that the "infanticidal" CENTCOM "must prove its claims about the removal of mines in the Strait of Hormuz with independent evidence, not with statements". "The reality in the Strait of Hormuz is defined in the skies, on land, and at sea, not in cyberspace or in the media war rooms of the United States", he concluded.