Iran says the tanker hit a naval mine on a route it wasn't allowed to use, with its tracking and radar switched off. It also says the US military was helping that tanker along — a new claim, never made before. Nobody has named the ship. No independent body has confirmed any of it.
And separately, at least two other tankers got hit off Saudi Arabia's coast in the last day. One by a rocket-propelled grenade, fired from a small boat.
That's everything we know.
Why this mattersSo why does this matter so much?
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow gap between Iran and Oman. A huge slice of the world's oil goes through it every day. Exactly how much depends who you ask — a fifth, a quarter, even a third. But whatever the number, this is one of the most important stretches of water on Earth. And Iran sits right on top of it.
Iran has said this before. It declared the strait closed back in July, right after nuclear talks collapsed. Iran's military fired on ships. America blockaded Iran's ports right back.
And this isn't even the first mine claim. It's the third one in seven weeks.
The first time, in late August, America's military said no straight away. Quote "No vessel has struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz."
The second time, just over a week ago, America said nothing at all.
This time? Still nothing. Not yet, anyway.
Admiral Brad Cooper runs US Central Command. He said yesterday that the strait is controlled by the United States and its regional partners, not Iran, and that it's open for business.
But notice what he didn't say. He never said no mine was hit.
So that's three mine claims. Three totally different responses. A flat denial. Silence. And now a statement that just avoids the question.
Donald Trump says the US Navy has an effective blockade, stopping every Iranian ship from getting through. Nobody else has confirmed that.
Here's what we still don't know. Whether Iran will actually enforce this closure, or whether ships just keep sailing through like nothing happened. Whether the tanker is even still afloat. Who was on it. What really set it on fire.
Iran has now said three times in seven weeks that it's mining this strait. And Washington has stopped even bothering to say no.
