Event details
U.S. Central Command publicly disputed an IRGC Navy claim that the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia struck a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the 180-meter, 48,000-deadweight-ton tanker was actually hit by an Iranian missile last month and struck again by a drone over the weekend while off the coast of Oman, calling Iran's mine claim 'yet another example of their lies.' Thirteen Indian crew members were rescued from the vessel and one remains missing. Separately, Hormuz vessel transits fell to four on Monday from ten on Sunday.
The dueling accounts over what disabled El Gaia signal continued direct Iranian attacks on commercial shipping near Hormuz even as Washington insists the strait remains open, a discrepancy insurers and shippers must weigh when deciding whether to route tankers through the waterway.
- Local time
- 6:20 AM Tehran time, Sep 15, 2026
- Location
- Strait of Hormuz, off Oman coast
- Relationship
- Update