The Saudi supertanker 'Sidr' was intercepted while navigating the southern channel of the Strait of Hormuz after it had suddenly activated its identification systems, according to Iranian media. The tanker, with capacity for two million barrels of oil, was built in 2019 and measures 336 meters in length and 60 meters in width, currently anchored a few kilometers off the coast of Oman, according to maritime tracking websites.
British naval authorities had previously reported a "incident involving a tanker and military forces" in the Indian Ocean, through the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO), which confirmed being aware of the situation and having ongoing investigations. Around 11:50 PM on Monday, the UKMTO also reported another incident near the coast of Khasab, in Oman, where a tanker was hit by three unknown projectiles while completing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with no record of injuries or environmental impacts.
Iran has repeatedly expressed opposition to the viability of maritime transit through the southern corridor. Last week, Tehran announced a preliminary understanding with Oman for managing traffic through the strategic passage, stating that the agreement includes closing this route. On Sunday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy further stated that a supertanker was "completely immobilized" after catching fire due to the impact of two naval mines while transiting "the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz", threatening that ships violating security norms will face the same fate.
US military rejected the Iranian statements, considering them false and denouncing them as "another attempt by the Revolutionary Guard to intimidate regional commercial navigation through disinformation".
