Iran's IRGC Says EL GAIA Oil Tanker Exploded After Hitting Naval Mines in Strait of Hormuz

Mine or Missile Dispute

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said a super oil tanker, identified as "EL GAIA," exploded and caught fire after hitting naval mines while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz via a "forbidden" route south of the waterway. The IRGC said efforts to contain the fire were futile and that the entire vessel was engulfed in flames, while it also stressed that the strait remains closed and under the control of Iran's naval forces. The U.S. military’s Central Command rejected the mine account, saying the tanker "was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable" before being hit again by an Iranian drone over the weekend.

CENTCOM said the claim by Iran’s IRGC was "another example of their lies and intimidation attempts," and said the tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner. The dispute unfolded as the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) warned insurance companies and classification societies to refrain from providing services to "violating" vessels on its updated list.

Reporting for this section@globaltimesnewsAnadolu Ajansı

Warnings, Routes, and Monitoring

The IRGC Navy said it had issued warnings about the risks of using the "illegal" route in the strategic waterway, and it added that navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is under intensive Iranian intelligence monitoring. In the same account, the IRGC said the tanker received prior warnings about entering a restricted area south of the Strait of Hormuz and moving through it "illegally," with the strait under what it described as Iranian control. The U.S. side framed the incident differently, with CENTCOM calling Iran’s version "another example of their lies and intimidation attempts" while disputing that a naval mine was involved.

The IRGC Navy Command also said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and remains under its "smart control," and it described the tanker’s blaze as spreading throughout the vessel. Separately, the PGSA said insurance companies, protection and indemnity insurance (P&I) clubs, and classification societies "are warned to refrain from providing services to these vessels to avoid consequences arising from dealing with them."

Reporting for this sectionAl-Khabar Al-YemeniIsrael National News

Broader Stakes for Shipping

The competing accounts over what disabled the tanker—mines versus an Iranian missile and drone—played out alongside Iran’s broader maritime posture, including Tehran restricting passage through the strategic waterway after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

The IRGC-linked narrative also said the strait remains closed and under Iranian control, while the U.S. military’s version said the tanker was already damaged in an Iranian attack last month and was struck again over the weekend.

Israel National News reported that Oman announced a planned meeting between Iran and Gulf states on arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz had been postponed, citing Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi’s statement that the delay was made "in the interests of consensus."

The stakes for commercial shipping were reflected in the U.S. dispute language, with CENTCOM accusing the IRGC of trying to "impede commercial vessels in the strait" while the PGSA warned insurers and classification societies against servicing "violating" vessels.

The incident also fed into a wider cycle of claims and counterclaims, with the U.S. and Iran offering flatly contradictory accounts of what disabled a burning tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

Reporting for this section@globaltimesnewsIsrael National News