THE WORLD’S OIL CHOKE POINT JUST CAUGHT FIRE — LITERALLY! Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said oil tankers caught fire in and near the Strait of Hormuz early Thursday, with one vessel striking a mine and others halted amid flames, CBS News and Al Jazeera reported.
Per Iranian state media cited by CBS, a large tanker trying an “illegal passageway” south of the strait caught fire after hitting a mine and was immobilized; another supertanker erupted while exiting the eastern strait, and a tug that moved in to fight the blaze also caught fire. The IRGC navy said at least one tanker had switched off identification and navigation systems — a dodge used to slip past Tehran’s controls. Iran has declared the strait “unsafe and closed” to ships that refuse coordination.
The waterway normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption. Since the U.S.–Israel war with Iran began Feb. 28, Tehran has squeezed traffic while Washington escorts Gulf exports; U.S. Central Command said last month it had helped move 1.5 billion barrels through since summer. Oman said Thursday its foreign minister and Iran’s still want a joint control system that could “end the state of war” for commercial shipping.
Separately Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at the Medina region, and Britain’s UKMTO reported a tanker hit by two unidentified projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Qatar.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Sources: CBS News, Al Jazeera
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