Iran says it struck and stopped the Togo-flagged product tanker MV Trend while the vessel was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the tanker was hit and caught fire before being brought to a stop.
The IRGC said the action was taken because the vessel attempted to pass through the strait outside Iran’s approved transit system.
The claim has not been independently verified. Iranian authorities have not disclosed the exact location of the incident or provided information on the condition of the crew or the tanker’s cargo.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately reported a security incident on September 17 about 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. UKMTO did not identify the vessel involved, and it remains unclear whether the incident involved MV Trend.
MV Trend was built in 2008 and is 118 metres long, with a beam of 17.6 metres. Its deadweight is 7,119 tonnes and gross tonnage is 5,036.
The reported incident adds to a series of attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict involving Iran began. The IMO said on September 16 that it had verified 80 attacks on merchant vessels in and around the strait since February 28, resulting in at least 22 seafarer deaths.
The latest claim comes as commercial traffic through Hormuz remains sharply reduced. Preliminary ship-tracking data showed only three commercial vessels transited the strait on September 17, compared with 12 the previous day and a 10-day average of 17.
The incident also comes amid rising security concerns around the Bab el-Mandeb, where recent advances by Houthi forces in southern Yemen have prompted Italy to consider additional measures to protect Italian-linked merchant vessels.
