(Tehran, Iran) – A tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles off Oman, maritime authorities reported, as Iran separately claimed four oil tankers had hit mines near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian account remains unverified, with BBC investigators reporting November 4 that they had found no evidence four tankers were destroyed.

The developments bring fresh concerns about commercial shipping in a waterway already disrupted by the war involving Iran and the United States. They concern separate incidents and should not be treated as a single confirmed attack.

According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, as reported by maritime publication SAFETY4SEA, the projectile strike occurred around 7 p.m. UTC on November 3, approximately 14 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman. The vessel’s security officer reported two impacts in the engine room.

No casualties or environmental damage had been reported when the warning was issued. Authorities were investigating, and responsibility for the attack had not been independently established.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps made its separate announcement November 4. Reuters reported that the Guards claimed four tankers had been destroyed by naval mines while attempting to follow a southern passage that Iran described as prohibited. The Guards also said two other vessels had been seized.

Those statements do not establish the ships’ identities, losses or crew conditions. The BBC’s later reporting explicitly distinguished the Iranian claims from the tanker strike reported by UKMTO.

The strait normally carries about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, according to the BBC. Its disruption gives the incidents significance beyond the region, including for Canadian readers following international energy supplies.

The BBC reported that Iran has been targeting vessels using a southern passage through Omani waters rather than its preferred route through Iranian waters. The United States has been protecting tankers carrying Gulf oil through the strait.

The immediate development is the newly reported projectile strike and Iran’s subsequent mine announcement—not confirmation of four destroyed tankers. The scale of any additional shipping losses remains unresolved.

Accompanying image: editorial illustration.

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