CENTCOM denies explosion of El Gaia tanker

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied claims by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia exploded in the Hormuz Strait, Report informs.

"Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims a Panama-flagged oil tanker recently struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. This is FALSE," CENTOM said in a post on X.

It was noted that the El Gaia oil tanker was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable.

"This weekend, Iran struck the tanker again with a drone while the ship sat in waters of the coast of Oman. The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner. The IRGC's false claim is yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait," reads the post.

Earlier, the IRGC claimed the ship hit a mine while attempting to pass through the southern zone of the Hormuz Strait, causing a fire onboard.