CENTCOM said the El Gaia tanker “was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable” before being hit again by an Iranian drone over the weekend while off the coast of Oman, Anadolu agency reported.
The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner, CENTCOM said, calling the claim by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “another example of their lies and intimidation attempts.”
The IRGC Navy said Monday that the El Gaia had exploded after striking naval mines south of the Strait of Hormuz.
23:37/September 14
Iran’s IRGC announced via the Fars news agency that an oil tanker caught fire following an explosion caused by a collision with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, though no date for the event was specified.
According to Iranian state media Fars, the tanker was identified as the El Gaia, a ship flying under the Panamanian flag, The Jerusalem Post reported.
***
