Two oil tankers catch fire after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz

Two oil tankers carrying about two million barrels of crude oil each caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the vessels were using an unauthorized route. Official Iranian news agency IRNA reported that the ships had turned off their radar and positioning systems, and information about their names or cargo origin was not immediately available. [1]

The latest incidents come as ship attacks in the vital waterway reached a record high for the month, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz was closed. However, Fox News reported that United States Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins stated that the vast majority of Iranian attack attempts were unsuccessful and that the strait remained open for commercial shipping. [2][5][6]

Military conflict in the region began on February 28, when United States Central Command launched Operation Epic Fury alongside an Israeli campaign called Operation Roaring Lion, the Washington Examiner reported. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Iran had targeted at least 24 commercial vessels near the waterway over a two-week period, prompting the United States to deploy two aircraft carriers to the Arabian Sea. [4][14]

Tensions in the waterway continue to impact global energy markets, as crude oil prices rose and Brent oil touched 110 dollars per barrel amid escalating attacks, according to CNBC and earlier reporting by FTMQ News. [8][13]