Oman rescues 25 sailors from burning ship near Hormuz
Oman's navy evacuated 25 crew from the Panamanian-flagged merchant ship RITI after an attack set it on fire. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said three oil tankers were halted in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman's Maritime Security Centre issued a statement on the RITI rescue. The Revolutionary Guards said the three tankers were halted after incidents or mine strikes. They said the ships used an unauthorised route through the strait.
The Guards also said the tankers switched off their navigation and positioning systems. They said the ships tried to leave with the support of the US military, which they called terrorist. One supertanker, which carried two million barrels of oil, stopped after an explosion, the Guards said.
US Central Command chief Brad Cooper said in a video released on Friday that US forces had cleared the main transit routes of Iranian sea mines. He said Washington had helped Gulf countries export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude through the strait since summer.
The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that a ship was struck 40 nautical miles (74 kilometres) south of Lavan island. Iran has restricted traffic through the strait since the Middle East war began on 28 February with US-Israeli strikes.
Key facts
- Who
- Brad Cooper (US Central Command chief); Oman's Maritime Security Centre (issued statement on the RITI rescue); Iran's Revolutionary Guards (Iranian military force that reported the halted tankers); UKMTO (British maritime security agency that reported a ship struck south of Lavan…)
- What
- Oman's navy evacuated 25 crew from the RITI, a ship set ablaze in an attack, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said three oil tankers were halted after incidents or mine strikes while using an unauthorised route through the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said US forces had cleared the strait's primary transit routes of Iranian sea mines.
- When
- 31 October 2026
- Where
- Muscat, Oman, Strait of Hormuz
- Status
- Reported