Tanker fires, sinking deepen Hormuz crisis

Iran reports four vessels hit by mines in Strait; dhow sinks off Oman

TEHRAN:

At least four tankers caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's armed forces said on Thursday, as a British maritime agency separately reported that a tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile while travelling through the strategic waterway.

The incidents came amid heightened tensions over access to the strait, with Iran challenging US claims that key shipping routes had been cleared of mines and insisting that progress in negotiations depended on Tehran's conditions being met.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Thursday that Tehran's seven conditions had been repeatedly and clearly communicated to mediators, adding that progress could only be achieved if those demands were fulfilled. "The carrot-and-stick approach has no effect on Iran," he said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said three oil tankers had exploded and caught fire over the preceding 24 hours after hitting mines while attempting to cross "an unauthorised southern route" through the strait. The vessels had switched off their navigation systems and ignored IRGC warnings.

Later on Thursday, Iran's army reported that another tanker had caught fire east of the strait after striking naval mines in a restricted and dangerous area. The vessel was damaged and unable to move, according to a statement carried by Iranian state television.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that a vessel caught fire and sank following a ?maritime security incident nine nautical miles north of Oman's Khasab. Regional ?authorities identified the vessel as a dhow, UKMTO said, adding that the crew had been safely evacuated.

Since the war began on February 28, Iran has severely restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil and gas consumption.