Iran Says an LNG Tanker Struck a Mine and Exploded in the Strait of Hormuz

No details on the tanker, its owner, its crew or the extent of the damage were immediately available, and there was no independent confirmation of the Iranian account.

The incident would extend a run of attacks on commercial shipping that has persisted even as traffic through the strait has picked up and oil prices have eased on expectations of de-escalation in the US-Israeli war on Iran. On Thursday, Iranian media reported that four oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the waterway after ignoring warnings and entering areas Iran regards as restricted.

At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began in late February, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

A strike on an LNG carrier touches one of the most fragile parts of Gulf energy trade. The International Energy Agency said in its monthly report on Friday that Gulf exports of refined products and liquefied petroleum gas remain at about half of prewar levels, and that crude exports from the region, excluding Oman, were still 26 per cent below where they stood before the war in October, even as overall supply recovered enough to push the global oil market back towards surplus. The agency named attacks on shipping as the main downside risk to that recovery.

Brent crude was up 0.35 per cent at $96.16 a barrel at 5.02pm UAE time on Friday.

Shipowners and insurers will be looking for the identity of the vessel and for any statement from its operator or flag state, which would be the first independent account of what happened.