El Gaia has been the vessel at the centre of the US-Iran clash (Img: Pinterest)
Tehran: The United States has rejected Iran’s claim that a Panama-flagged oil tanker carrying Indian crew members was damaged after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington instead alleged that the vessel had been attacked by Iranian forces.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the tanker El Gaia exploded and caught fire after hitting mines in the strategic waterway, according to Iranian state media Fars. The vessel was reportedly carrying 14 Indian crew members.
US Central Command disputed the account, saying El Gaia had been hit by an Iranian missile last month and was struck again recently by an Iranian drone. According to CENTCOM, the tanker is now being towed with assistance from a regional partner.
The US military also accused the IRGC of spreading false information and attempting to intimidate commercial shipping operating through the Strait of Hormuz.
The incident was first reported on Sunday. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 14 Indian nationals were aboard the vessel, of whom 13 had been rescued. Search and rescue efforts were continuing for the remaining crew member.
The Indian Embassy in Oman has been coordinating with Omani authorities and monitoring the situation, the ministry said.
The tanker incident comes as commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues to remain significantly below normal levels. The waterway is a crucial route for global energy supplies, with roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments normally passing through it.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said oil flows through Hormuz had recovered to more than two-thirds of earlier levels, with around 10 million barrels of oil moving through the strait daily over the previous week.
However, preliminary shipping data indicated that traffic remained far below normal. Only 14 vessels reportedly transited the waterway over the weekend, compared with more than 100 vessels a day before the US-Israel war with Iran began.
The continuing uncertainty has added pressure to global energy markets. Disruptions to shipping and attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure have pushed crude prices higher, with Brent crude rising $3.21 to $107.82 a barrel.
The latest dispute over El Gaia has further intensified tensions over who controls access and security in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
