Claim
Iran said the vessel caught fire after hitting mines, while the US said it was struck by a missile and then a drone
Attributed to Iran and the United States
Evidence
Multiple independent news outlets (Israel National News, Aaj English TV, Gulf News, The Jerusalem Post, National Security Journal, OANN, CBS News) reported this exact dispute in mid-September 2026 regarding the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's IRGC Navy, via Fars/Mehr news agencies, said the tanker struck a naval mine and caught fire. CENTCOM publicly stated this was false, saying the tanker had been struck by an Iranian missile the previous month (rendering it inoperable) and then hit again by an Iranian drone while off the coast of Oman. Oman separately reported an engine-room fire with two sailors missing and 23 rescued, and UKMTO reportedly logged a 'projectile attack' near the same time/location. No dedicated Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo article specifically adjudicating which account (mine vs. missile/drone) is correct was found in search results; Bellingcat's Iran-tagged coverage did not address this specific incident.
Supporting sources
Assessment
Multiple independent news outlets directly and consistently confirm that Iran's IRGC attributed the fire to a mine strike while CENTCOM/US attributed it to an Iranian missile and drone strike, so the claim accurately describes the competing statements; however, no independent forensic fact-check has determined which account is actually true, so the underlying cause remains disputed between the parties themselves.
Confidence
Some independent corroboration was found, but it isn't yet conclusive.
Timeline
Sep 24, 2026, 9:54 AM UTC
ConfirmedInitial assessment.
First observed Sep 24, 2026, 9:54 AM UTC · Last reviewed Sep 24, 2026, 9:54 AM UTC