Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Thursday that four vessels involved in illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf were simultaneously hit and caught fire after being tracked by its forces on Wednesday, and that three more vessels collided with mines west of the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported the IRGC statement, which also warned the US military that continued provocations could lead to a wider response against its regional bases. No independent confirmation of the seven-vessel claim — from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the US military, or any shipowner — was available in the reporting opened for this article, and the claim is published here strictly as the IRGC's own account. Oil rose more than $2 a barrel in Thursday trade, a move Reuters tied to Wednesday's attacks in Saudi Arabia and to concerns over a broader escalation disrupting crude supplies.
What exactly did the IRGC say?
That its forces struck four vessels making ship-to-ship oil transfers, and that three others hit mines. In the fuller text of the statement carried by Press TV, the IRGC Navy said the four vessels had previously used unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz, were monitored and pursued, and were "discovered transferring oil cargo from ship to ship in the northern central Persian Gulf. All four were struck simultaneously and were burning." It said three other vessels "suffered incidents and caught fire after striking mines west of the Strait of Hormuz last night," and that those vessels were stopped. The force said it continues to manage and control the strait, and that the United States has continued to encourage vessels to navigate an unauthorized passage that has been mined, causing maritime incidents to increase day by day. Press TV also reported the statement's context: on October 9 the IRGC had declared that action against vessels using unauthorized passages would no longer be confined to the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran has said it will not reopen the strait until Washington meets its demands.
What was the warning to the United States?
That US bases in the region could be targeted if the pattern continues. "The aggressor US military must know that, if this trend continues, the scope of confrontation will extend to the aggressor bases in the region. This is a serious warning," the statement said, in Press TV's rendering. Reuters, reporting the same statement, summarised the warning as a wider response against US regional bases if provocations continue. No US military response to the statement had been reported in the reporting opened for this article.
What shipping incident is independently confirmed?
One, from Wednesday — and it is not established as part of the IRGC's seven. India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said the Kuwait-flagged oil product tanker M/T Al Dasma, carrying 21 Indian seafarers, was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, October 21, and that all 21 Indian crew members, along with the rest of the crew, were completely safe. UKMTO tracked the strike at 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, Oman, IANS reported, and Times Kuwait reported a fire aboard the tanker was extinguished and the vessel remained stationary, with all crew safe. The projectile's origin was not established. A similar incident on October 16, when the crude tanker MT ST 3 was struck in the strait with 15 Indian seafarers aboard and no casualties, was also reported by the minister. Whether any of the IRGC's claimed seven vessels corresponds to the Al Dasma was not established in the reporting opened for this article: the IRGC described its four struck vessels as making oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf and its three mine cases as west of the strait, without naming any vessel.
How did markets move on the news?
Brent crude climbed $2.82, or 2.59%, to $111.64 a barrel at 06:26 GMT on Thursday, close to a five-month high, and US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $2.24, or 2.31%, to $99.39, Reuters reported, tying the rally to the Saudi attacks and escalation concerns. "Oil prices remain well bid, with ICE Brent back above $110 per barrel this morning following additional deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia," ING analysts said in a note. Supply data added pressure: US crude stocks fell by 3.06 million barrels to 412.5 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said — well beyond the 820,000-barrel draw analysts expected in a Reuters poll — while distillate stockpiles rose 1.68 million barrels to 104.3 million barrels. The Trump administration is also offering to loan up to nearly a third of the 1-million-barrel US emergency heating oil reserve to contain prices driven up by diesel shortages, the Department of Energy said on Wednesday.
This report is drawn from Reuters' October 22 flash of the IRGC Navy statement, opened and read in full via its verbatim carrier; Press TV's October 22 rendering of the same statement, opened and read in full; Reuters' October 22 oil report, opened and read in full via its verbatim carrier; and IANS's October 22 report of the Al Dasma incident, opened and read in full. The seven-vessel claim is published as the IRGC's own account, reported by Reuters, with no independent confirmation available in the reporting opened; the Al Dasma strike is published on the Indian minister's statement and UKMTO's tracked position, as a separate confirmed incident with no established link to the claim.
