Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy said a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas struck a naval mine and suffered an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, while using what it described as an "unauthorized and dangerous route," state media reported. No details on the tanker were immediately available. A separate Iranian report, a naval statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, said a liquefied petroleum gas tanker struck a mine while trying to sail through the eastern part of the strait, and that the vessel had ignored repeated warnings. The claim could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate report of the incident from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British military agency that monitors incidents at sea.

The incident follows an earlier claim by Iranian media on Thursday that four oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the waterway, which is vital for global shipping. Iran said those vessels had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strait. Iran continues to warn ships not to pass through the strategic shipping lane without its approval.S1S2

Tankers are still facing attacks across the strait despite a rebound in traffic and expectations of a de-escalation in the US-Israeli war on Iran, expectations that have been reflected in falling oil prices. According to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, at least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, following 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began in late February.S1