Tehran, September 2026: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Friday that it had struck a Togo-flagged oil tanker while it was attempting to make what Tehran described as an “illegal” passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a statement carried by the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the tanker Trend was stopped after catching fire following the reported strike. The IRGC said the vessel had attempted to cross the strategic waterway despite warnings and had been “deceived and provoked” by the US Army.
The Iranian force warned that vessels attempting to use routes it considers unauthorised could face serious consequences. It also said its forces remained in control of the Strait of Hormuz and would prevent what it described as passage by “aggressors.”
The latest incident comes amid heightened tensions surrounding commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies. Commercial traffic through the waterway has fallen sharply amid the ongoing regional conflict, with preliminary tracking data showing only four commodity vessels transited the strait on Thursday, compared with a 10-day average of 16.
Iran has previously announced restrictions on vessels it considers affiliated with Israel or the United States. Tehran has also designated certain routes through the waterway as prohibited and warned shipping operators against using them.
Earlier Incident Involving EL GAIA
The latest announcement follows an earlier incident involving the oil tanker EL GAIA. Iran’s IRGC Navy said the tanker exploded and caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to use a route south of the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran had declared restricted.
The IRGC said efforts to contain the fire were unsuccessful and that the vessel was eventually engulfed in flames. Iran maintained that the strait remained under the control of its naval forces and reiterated warnings against using the southern route.
However, the account concerning EL GAIA has been disputed by the United States. US Central Command said the Panama-flagged tanker had been struck by an Iranian missile earlier and later hit by an Iranian drone while it was off the coast of Oman. The conflicting accounts have not been independently resolved.
The incident involving EL GAIA also prompted international concern over the safety of commercial shipping in and around the strategic waterway. The International Maritime Organization reported that the vessel had been damaged, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a vessel had been struck by a projectile and that a fire had broken out.
Iran Warns Maritime Service Providers
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), which oversees maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, has separately warned insurance companies, protection and indemnity insurance clubs and classification societies against providing services to vessels on its updated list of “violating” ships.
In a statement on social media platform X, the authority urged maritime service providers to refrain from dealing with the listed vessels, warning of consequences arising from such transactions.
The developments have added to uncertainty for international shipping operators using the Strait of Hormuz, as the strategic waterway remains subject to severe restrictions and heightened security risks.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
