IRGC Claims Seven Vessels Hit Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy says it struck four oil-transfer vessels and that three others hit mines near the Strait of Hormuz, claims that have not been independently verified. The force warned that continued U.S. assistance to commercial shipping could prompt attacks on American bases in the region. In a statement on Thursday, October 22, the IRGC Navy said four vessels transferring oil between ships in the northern Persian Gulf were hit and caught fire. It said three more vessels were disabled after striking mines west of the strait. The force did not identify the ships, their flags, crews or cargoes, and reporting gave no confirmed casualty figures. The allegations were not corroborated by maritime monitors. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had not reported the seven incidents, while the International Maritime Organization’s tracker, which listed 120 confirmed maritime incidents and 24 seafarer deaths in the Middle East by October 22, had entries only through October 20 and did not include them. The absence of monitor reports does not establish that the incidents did not occur: UKMTO has said some vessels do not report attacks and that...