CENTCOM disputes IRGC claim El Gaia tanker hit by mine in Hormuz

September 15, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) disputes Iran's Revolutionary Guard claim that the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, asserting the vessel was hit by an Iranian missile last month and an Iranian drone this weekend. The dispute comes as the Saudi-led coalition reports 13 civilians injured in Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Key Facts

CENTCOM says the El Gaia was hit by an Iranian missile last month and an Iranian drone this weekend, not a naval mine.
The Saudi-led coalition reports 13 civilians injured in Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Houthi and Yemeni government officials say the Houthis have seized the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree says Saudi warplanes carried out 58 air raids across six provinces in the past 24 hours.
Iran's nuclear chief has been blocked from attending the annual IAEA General Conference in Vienna after US opposition.

Tanker Incident Dispute

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) disputes the IRGC claim that the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM says the vessel was hit by an Iranian missile last month and struck again by an Iranian drone this weekend as it sat in waters off the coast of Oman. The IRGC had claimed the tanker was damaged by a naval mine in the strategic waterway.

Regional Attacks and Responses

The Saudi-led coalition has said that 13 civilians have been injured following a wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched by Houthi forces into Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree says Saudi warplanes carried out 58 air raids across six provinces in the past 24 hours. Yemeni government forces have struck Houthi equipment and fighters in the Dhubab and al-Khokha areas along the Red Sea coast. The deputy governor of Iran's Hormozgan province says a drone attacked two fishing boats in the Gulf off the port of Kargan, near Larak Island, prompting search and rescue operations to locate missing fishermen.

Diplomatic and Nuclear Tensions

US President Donald Trump has again said that "Iran wants to make a deal" but added that he will "determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage". Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has dismissed what he called "mixed" signals from Trump, saying there can be no talks until Tehran's conditions are met. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says US sanctions aim to cause the social collapse of Iran, accusing certain Iranians abroad of aligning with Tehran's enemies to stoke discord. Iran's nuclear chief has been blocked from attending the annual General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna after US opposition.