U.S. Rejects Iran’s Mine Claim as Hormuz Shipping Threat Remains Severe

U.S. Central Command is disputing an Iranian claim that a Panama-flagged tanker recently struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the ship was instead hit by Iranian weapons on two separate occasions.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the tanker El Gaia struck a mine while attempting to transit the Strait, sparking a fire aboard the vessel.

CENTCOM said that account was false.

According to the U.S. military, El Gaia was first struck by an Iranian missile last month, leaving the tanker inoperable. Iran then attacked the vessel again with a drone over the weekend while it was