Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said a container ship caught fire and sank in the Strait of Hormuz after striking a mine, amid continued attacks on vessels in the strategic waterway.
The Guards’ navy said on Wednesday that the vessel attempted to cross the strait through what it described as an unauthorised and dangerous shipping route before an explosion occurred.
Images released by the IRGC reportedly showed black smoke rising from a ship, with dozens of containers floating in the sea. The Guards said the vessel was carrying more than 2,500 containers.
However, it remained unclear whether the incident reported by Iran involved the same ship identified by British maritime security firm Vanguard.
According to Vanguard, the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride was struck by a projectile on Tuesday and sank.
The firm also reported that three other vessels were hit on Tuesday. Two reportedly continued their journeys, while the fate of the third remained unknown.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) separately reported on Wednesday that two container ships had been struck by projectiles on Tuesday but continued sailing after sustaining minor damage.
UKMTO had earlier reported two other attacks targeting a tanker and a container ship, without specifying whether the incidents resulted in damage or casualties.
The developments come as tensions continue in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route through which about one-fifth of global hydrocarbon supplies passed before the Middle East war began in late February.
Iran claims control over the waterway and has repeatedly targeted vessels it accuses of crossing without authorisation.
The United States has also imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
The conflict began in late February following US-Israeli strikes against Iran, disrupting maritime traffic and raising concerns over global energy supplies.
Authorities have yet to establish whether the ship reported sunk by Iran and the GFS Pride are the same vessel.
