Iran says seven oil tankers were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz in a single day — which it describes as the heaviest one-day shipping damage since the United States and Israel began their war against the country.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said four of the vessels were attacked while carrying oil and caught fire, Hiru News reported. The remaining three were rendered unusable after striking sea mines, according to the same statement.
Foreign media cited in the report say there is still no independently verified official information on casualties or on the ownership of the vessels.
Competing accounts
The IRGC went on to warn that if the United States provides support for shipping movements through the strait, Iran will also strike American military bases in the Middle East.
US Central Command rejected the account, stating that mines in international shipping lanes have been cleared and that the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of making false claims of this kind in order to push up world oil prices ahead of the forthcoming American election. Foreign reports note growing unease among Americans over fuel price increases caused by the war.
Why it matters here
The strait is the chokepoint for a large share of seaborne crude, and disruption there feeds directly into the import bill Sri Lanka pays for fuel. Brent had already climbed past $112 a barrel on Thursday amid the same tensions, and Hiru reported a further rise toward $114 on Friday.
What this desk could not confirm
Every figure above — the seven vessels, the four fires, the three mine strikes — originates with the IRGC, an interested party, and is contested by US Central Command. None of it has been independently verified.
Hiru News is the only verified newsroom this desk found reporting the claim at the time of writing. Al Jazeera, the one verified international outlet reachable for corroboration from here, could not be fetched on this attempt. The account is therefore recorded as Iran’s claim and the American denial, not as established fact.