Evidence

Multiple independent news outlets reported that Iran's IRGC Navy issued a statement (dated Monday, Oct 12, 2026 in the search results) saying a third 'offending' crude oil supertanker was struck and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz within a two-day span. This was reported by TASS, Anadolu Agency (via Middle East Monitor and usmuslims.com), Press TV, WANA, Orinoco Tribune, and Southfront, all describing an IRGC public-relations statement with nearly identical wording. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately confirmed it had received a report of an incident involving an outbound tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the strait, with the crew reported safe, but did not independently confirm the IRGC's full claim of a 'third hit in two days' or the cause (mine vs. projectile). No fact-checking organization (Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo) was found to have published a dedicated verification or debunking of this specific IRGC claim.