Iran Says Gas Tanker Hit Mine in Strait of Hormuz

A gas tanker transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) struck a mine and experienced an explosion on Friday while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz using an unauthorized route, according to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. The vessel violated Iran's stipulated route in the strategically important waterway, as reported by Iran's state media to Reuters.

Recent months have seen a surge in attacks on energy-carrying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran reporting incidents nearly daily. On Thursday, the Iranian military announced that four oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, with the ships disregarding Iran's warnings and venturing into restricted areas, as the country maintains control over the transit.

Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz's navigation would not revert to pre-war conditions and that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not apply to the strait. Iran governs regulations within the Strait of Hormuz, citing the laws of the two countries that border it.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States has no interest in engaging in negotiations with Iran, noting that "We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait." On Friday, the mine-and-explosion incident involving the LNG tanker occurred, following a period where Kpler data indicated that liquefied natural gas exports through the Strait of Hormuz reached their highest level since February, totaling 31 tankers, compared to 23 in September.

Despite this increase in loadings, the overall volume from Qatar remains far from pre-war levels. In October, Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal exported 2.7 million tons of LNG, slightly surpassing the 6.2 million tons exported in February. This information was provided by Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com.