Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Three oil tankers caught fire and exploded while attempting to navigate what were described as unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz , Iranian state media reported on Friday, citing Iran 's Revolutionary Guards Navy. According to the IRGC Navy, one vessel carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil struck a mine.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports the IRGC Navy's statement about the tanker fires but leaves out that the same statement blamed the fires on US military actions as well as on the tankers ignoring Iranian rules. Euronews also reported the IRGC's claim that the tankers had switched off their navigation systems and were sailing with US military support. Without this, a reader does not know whose actions Iran says caused the fires.
The assertion could not be immediately verified. State media reported that Iranian forces also downed and captured a U.S. MQM-170 drone in airspace over Iran's Qeshm island near the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate U.S. military response, and the account could not be independently verified. ( AP ) Iran further claimed to have destroyed an unmanned U.S. vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. U.S. CENTCOM denied the report, posting on X, "All U.S. military unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East are accounted for, including a squadron of advanced sea drones on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz."
The Independent reports Iranian state media claims that three tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz and that Iranian forces downed a US drone. It attributes each claim to its source and says plainly that they could not be verified. It then gives the US military's denial the closing word without the same caveat, and leaves out that the IRGC blamed the fires on US military actions.
Gives a contested claim the last word
Minor
“"All U.S. military unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East are accounted for, including a squadron of advanced sea drones on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz."”
Why this matters
The Independent closes its account of the drone boat claim with CENTCOM's denial and nothing after it. It adds no note that the denial could not be verified either.
The impression it gives
A reader takes the US denial as settling the matter, while the Iranian claims remain doubtful.
The context
The article twice warns that Iranian claims could not be verified. It gives the US statement no such caveat, although it directly contradicts the Iranian Army Navy's own announcement. Neither side's account is independently confirmed.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“The assertion could not be immediately verified.”
Elsewhere in the article“the account could not be independently verified”
The article reports the IRGC Navy's statement about the tanker fires but leaves out that the same statement blamed the fires on US military actions as well as on the tankers ignoring Iranian rules. Euronews also reported the IRGC's claim that the tankers had switched off their navigation systems and were sailing with US military support. Without this, a reader does not know whose actions Iran says caused the fires.