Symbolic imageSeafarer dies on tanker near Hormuz as Iran claims more mine strikes
A suspected missile strike on the tanker Velos Sapphire killed one seafarer in the Gulf on Thursday. Iran's Guards say two more tankers hit mines in Hormuz.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Velos Sapphire, sailing unladen towards Bahrain, was hit by an explosion on Thursday, 5 November, its manager Velos Tankers said on Friday. The seafarer, first reported missing, was found fatally injured, while the crew extinguished the fire and the ship reached Bahrain's Khalifa Bin Salman Port. The sources name no attacker. The IRGC Navy said on Friday that two tankers using prohibited routes struck mines and caught fire, and that the strait stays closed until Iran's seven conditions are met. Only Iranian outlets carry that claim. Separately, UKMTO reported an explosion near the waterline of a tanker 16 nautical miles off Hasab in Oman, with the crew safe.
More drone claims over Qeshm
The IRGC says it downed a 16th US MQ-1 over Qeshm Island on Friday. Tehran Times adds that two more MQM-170 drones fell on Thursday night, bringing that count to six, and that a 55th MQ-9 was shot down over the eastern strait. None of this is independently confirmed in the sources.
Four countries exempted
Iranian lawmaker Amir Hayat Moqaddam said on Tuesday that ships from India, China, Iraq and Qatar pass freely. Indian and Chinese ships would pay transit fees, Qatari ones none. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera see revenue and political aims, while the US blockade of Iran's southern ports continues.
Other opinions
Iranian state outlets and TASS relay IRGC claims on mines and drones directly, while the Jerusalem Post attributes them to Iranian media and does not mention the mine claims.