US disputes Iran mine claim, says El Gaia crude oil tanker was hit by Iranian missile and drone instead
Pentagon says IRGC mine story is 'false', blames Iran for missile, drone attacks
The claim by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that a Panama-flagged oil tanker recently "struck a naval mine" in the Strait of Hormuz is "false", according to the US military.
Instead, the Central Command claimed that the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and "rendered inoperable".
"This weekend, Iran struck the tanker again with a drone while the ship sat in waters off the coast of Oman. The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner. The IRGC's false claim is yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait."
AIS trackers show El Gaia active with port calls at Ras Laffan and Sohar into early September 2026, underway at normal speeds around then.
No independent reports or news confirm any August missile strike that rendered it inoperable.
The Sept. 13 off-Oman fire is verified by UKMTO and India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), as a "projectile attack".
Iran’s claim that ships were hit by mines while using “unauthorised” lanes in the Strait of Hormuz may also be understood as a strategic-message operation as much as a military account.
It seeks to portray Tehran — rather than the US or international maritime law — as the authority that decides which ships may safely transit one of the world’s most important waterways.
What Iran is claiming
The IRGC Navy said the tanker El Gaia, also identified as Algaya, struck a naval mine and caught fire while attempting to use what Tehran called an "illegal" or "unsafe route south" of the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said the vessel had ignored prior warnings and declared that the strait was “closed” and under Iran’s “smart control”, as per Iran-linked Press TV.
The claim is contested. US Central Command rejected the mine account and said the tanker was hit by Iranian weapons in two separate incidents.
Earlier Iranian assertions that ships had struck mines in the strait have also been disputed by US officials.
