Iran says navy destroyed ‘enemy’ unmanned vessel, 2 tankers damaged in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Navy said Friday that it had destroyed an “enemy unmanned vessel” operating east of the Strait of Hormuz, while two tankers were separately damaged and caught fire after hitting naval mines in areas Iran considers restricted and unsafe. According to a statement carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, the unmanned vessel was struck and destroyed early Friday while operating in an area east of the strait monitored by the Iranian Navy.
The statement did not identify the vessel or its operator or provide further details on its activity. Separately, the Iranian Navy said two tankers had switched off their tracking systems and were sailing in restricted and unsafe areas east of the Strait of Hormuz, despite warnings. The tankers struck naval mines, took damage, and caught fire, it said. Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said that two tankers had been stopped in the Strait of Hormuz while trying to transit through unauthorized routes.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article says the statement did not identify the vessel's operator. Reuters reported the same day that Iran said it had destroyed a US unmanned vessel. Without this, a reader may think Iran did not name whose vessel it struck, when Iran's account, as other outlets reported it, named the US.
How we know
- Reuters reported“Iran also said on Friday that it destroyed a US unmanned vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz.”Iran's IRGC navy says two tankers stopped south of Hormuz after incidents (opens in a new tab)
- Al-Monitor reported“Iran also said it had destroyed an unmanned US vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz.”Iran's IRGC Navy says three tankers catch fire in Strait of Hormuz (opens in a new tab)
In a statement carried by Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC Navy said one tanker was in the eastern part of the strait and the other in the western part. It said both vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and claimed they were operating with support from the US military. According to the IRGC statement, the tankers entered areas Iran considers unsafe after ignoring several radio warnings before being stopped near the strait’s southern shores.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency also published video footage that it said showed the two tankers stopped in the western and eastern parts of the Strait of Hormuz while trying to transit through unauthorized routes. The incidents come amid rising tensions between Iran and the US about navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy and commodity supplies. On Feb. 28, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and US targets in the region before a ceasefire agreement was reached in April.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June concerning freedom of navigation in the strait, but its implementation stalled over disagreements related to security in the strategic waterway as tensions continued to escalate.
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