Iran says it struck oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Iran says it struck an oil tanker that was attempting to “illegally pass” through the Strait of Hormuz .

Tehran’s paramilitary Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement shared by state media that it attacked a Togo-flagged tanker, the Trend, after it tried to navigate through the waterway.

The vessel “came to a halt after catching fire,” according to the IRGC report.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, which tracks and responds to incidents on key trade routes, reported overnight on a “security incident” 16 nautical miles from Khasab, Oman.

The crew was safe and there was no reported environmental impact, according to UKMTO. It’s unclear if this incident is connected to Iran’s reported tanker strike.

The organization also reported Friday that a tanker had caught fire after being hit by “an unknown projectile.” The crew in this incident were also reported safe.

Additionally, the operations center posted a late incident report from Wednesday that a separate tanker was hit by an “unknown projectile,” and the crew was reported safe.

The strait, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil consumption on a daily basis under normal conditions, has been effectively closed since military operations between the U.S. and Iran began at the end of February.

Its closure has surged energy prices in the U.S., placing pressure on the Trump administration and Republicans ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

President Trump told supporters during a Wednesday event in North Carolina that higher gas prices were a “very inexpensive price to pay” for this conflict.

On Thursday, the president said he was weighing “ a big decision ” regarding the future of this conflict, which has now stretched over six months.

“Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision,” he told Axios . “Anything could happen with me.”