🔶 Attack on an oil tanker near the coast of Jubail, Saudi Arabia

The UK Maritime Trade Operations organization (UKMTO) said on Saturday, 17 October (25 Mehr), in a report that on Friday an oil tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile at a distance of 68 nautical miles, about 126 kilometers, northeast of Jubail on the coast of Saudi Arabia.

The organization said that all crew members of the oil tanker are safe and that they have been evacuated. The report also added that no environmental impact has been reported following the incident.

Also, according to a claim by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was cited by Al Arabiya in a post on the social media platform X on Saturday, an oil tanker exploded after striking an underwater mine in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement released on Friday, 24 Mehr (16 October), the IRGC Navy said that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil in the Strait of Hormuz suffered a violent explosion and a fire as a result of hitting a sea mine.

According to the IRNA news agency, in its statement the IRGC said that “this oil tanker, using deceptive maneuvers and with the support of U.S. military forces, attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without authorization.” The IRGC also claimed that the strategic waterway remains closed.

Given that the IRGC has not announced the name and related information of this tanker, it is unclear whether this claim refers to the same maritime incident near Jubail or to another incident.