The RITI, identified by ship-tracking services as a crude oil tanker, was targeted in an attack that ignited a fire on board, prompting Oman's Maritime Security Centre to coordinate an evacuation operation with the Royal Navy . The crew received necessary medical care, though Omani authorities did not disclose further details about their condition or nationalities . The vessel was located just 1.6 nautical miles off Musandam's coast—a narrow, sensitive area bordering the strait—when the attack occurred .
British maritime security agency UKMTO had earlier reported a vessel on fire roughly 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, the provincial capital of Musandam . A separate UKMTO advisory later described a ship approximately 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island being struck by an unknown projectile, with the crew reported safe and no environmental impact observed . The relationship between these reports and the RITI incident remains unclear.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued statements claiming that three oil tankers had been halted in Hormuz after encountering "incidents" or striking mines . According to the IRGC, two tankers—one in the eastern part and one in the western part of the strait—were attempting to transit through an "unauthorized route" closer to Oman's shores when they were stopped . A third supertanker carrying approximately two million barrels of oil reportedly exploded and caught fire after hitting a naval mine . The IRGC alleged the vessels had switched off navigation systems and were operating with US military support, disregarding multiple radio warnings .
Iran has demanded that all vessels use a designated route through Hormuz and coordinate passage with its armed forces, designating the southern corridor near Oman's coast as unauthorized . These claims follow earlier IRGC statements that at least four tankers had stopped after hitting mines in the area . The incidents represent an escalation in Iran's enforcement of its claimed control over the waterway since the conflict erupted on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran .
CENTCOM chief Brad Cooper said in a video released Friday that US forces had "successfully cleared the strait's internationally recognised primary transit routes of Iranian sea mines" and remain present to ensure those routes stay open . Cooper also claimed Washington has helped Gulf countries export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude through the strait since summer . However, the day's events—a burning tanker off Oman and IRGC claims of three more vessels halted—demonstrate that military clearance of primary routes has not eliminated the threat to commercial shipping.
The attacks add to an already severe disruption of global energy flows. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of global oil supply, and traffic has remained far below pre-war levels throughout the crisis . The United States has responded to Iran's blockade with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports, further restricting Tehran's oil exports and trade . The combination of Iranian enforcement actions, unexplained attacks on vessels, and US military countermeasures has created a deeply uncertain environment for shipowners, insurers, and charterers.
For India, the incident is particularly concerning given the presence of Indian seafarers throughout the region's merchant fleet. The MT LOUISE 1 limpet mine attack earlier this week involved 27 Indian crew members, and New Delhi has been increasingly vocal about protecting its nationals and commercial shipping. The RITI evacuation, while successful, reinforces the human stakes of the Hormuz crisis.
The coming days will be critical in determining whether the reported Iran-US draft framework—which includes a seven-day Hormuz reopening clause—can produce a diplomatic breakthrough, or whether attacks like the one on the RITI will continue to make the strait a dangerous and commercially avoided corridor.