Oman reports two sailors missing after oil tanker attack in Strait of Hormuz

Oman reports that two sailors remain missing while 23 crew members were rescued after an assault on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Oman’s Maritime Security Centre, the Panama‑flagged tanker El Gaia was under tow to an Omani port on Tuesday after a fire erupted in its engine room; the vessel had been struck about 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) north of the Musandam peninsula.

On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed the tanker struck naval mines and ignited while traversing a route they labelled restricted and unsafe.

The U.S. military disputed the Iranian account, stating the tanker was hit by an Iranian missile the previous month and again by a drone over the weekend.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre added that it had received a report of a fire aboard a vessel hit by an unknown projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday morning.

Earlier this month, Iran issued a comparable claim regarding an incident that killed two Filipino sailors aboard a Saudi‑owned oil supertanker in the vital waterway.

The Revolutionary Guard said the vessel Sidr caught fire after striking a naval mine, whereas Saudi officials maintained it was targeted by Iran and maritime security firms reported it was hit by projectiles north of Musandam.

The International Maritime Organization reports that at least 22 seafarers have died in 79 confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere in the Middle East since the U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran began at the end of February.

Also on Tuesday, Iran’s semi‑official Fars news agency said enemy drones had attacked two fishing boats in the strait overnight near the Iranian port of Kargan, roughly 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Musandam.

Fars, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, quoted Hormozgan province’s deputy governor saying several fishermen were reported missing after the incident and that a search‑and‑rescue operation was underway.

Later, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson told Axios that American forces had destroyed two vessels attempting to seize a sea drone.

“Iranian small boats recently tried to seize a U.S. unmanned surface vessel, but they were thwarted after Centcom responded forcefully,” said Captain Tim Hawkins.

The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one‑fifth of global oil and gas shipments, has effectively been closed by Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels alongside a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The United States and Iran had reached a preliminary deal in June to end the conflict and reopen the strait, but the agreement fell apart weeks later when Iranian attacks on shipping resumed and the U.S. restored its blockade.

Iran maintains it will not relinquish any control over the waterway and has targeted vessels using a southern route through Omani waters to bypass its preferred corridor through Iranian territorial waters.

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