Revolutionary Guards announce targeting of oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the targeting of an oil tanker flying the flag of Togo in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it attempted to cross the strait illegally. The tanker "Trend" was hit and a fire broke out. The Revolutionary Guards accused the US military of incitement. A British agency reported a security incident near Oman's Khasab. Data showed a decline in the number of cargo ships crossing the strait.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced early Friday, September 18, 2026, the targeting of an oil tanker flying the flag of Togo in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it attempted to cross the strait illegally. The commander of the Revolutionary Guard Navy, Admiral Ali Azmaei, said in a statement carried by Iran's official news agency IRNA that the tanker "Trend" was hit, causing a fire to break out and forcing it to stop. Azmaei accused the US military of inciting the tanker's crossing, without providing details on the extent of the damage or the fate of the crew. The British Maritime Trade Operations had reported, on the evening of Thursday, September 17, a security incident 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab in the Sultanate of Oman, without revealing the identity of the ship or the nature of the incident. Preliminary data showed that four cargo ships crossed the strait on Thursday, compared to six ships the previous day, a number lower than the average of 16 ships per day over the past ten days. The article conveys the Revolutionary Guard statement without scrutiny or requesting a response from the American side.