U.S., Iran Halt Strikes on One Another, But Tankers War Continues

The U.S. and Iran halted strikes on each other’s assets but tankers continued to be hit in the Strait of Hormuz.

Though no formal cease fire was declared, no bombs, missiles and drones were fired by either side since Saturday kindling hopes of a renewed bid for peace.

However, the U.S. CentCom announced it had boarded a tanker violating its blackade of Iranian ports while Iran said a tanker caught fire after hitting a mine in the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said the violating oil tanker had deviated from the route designaed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, when it caught fire after hitting a naval mine.

Preliminary reports show that the tanker deviated from the corridor designated by Iran and was located in an area outside the safe maritime traffic route, despite previous warnings.

A CentCom statement said:

CENTCOM forces disabled Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman, July 24, after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.