2 hours ago
Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 16:39 IST
Iran said the strike was carried out after the ship failed to comply with instructions issued under what it described as wartime conditions in the region.
The IRGC said vessels moving through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz must comply with Iranian naval directives. (Image Credit: X)
A tanker sailing under a Marshall Islands flag was struck in the northern Persian Gulf after failing to heed warnings from Iranian naval forces, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said amid rising tensions around the strategic shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz.
The tanker Safe Sia, a US-linked ship registered in the Marshall Islands, was hit during an operation carried out by the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The vessel had ignored repeated warnings issued by IRGC naval units while transiting waters in the northern Persian Gulf.
The Guard Corps said the strike was carried out after the ship failed to comply with instructions issued under what it described as wartime conditions in the region.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the moment the tanker was struck. The footage, widely shared online, captured what appears to be an impact or explosion near a vessel identified as the Safe Sia while it was moving through the northern Persian Gulf. The authenticity of the footage has not been independently verified.
The IRGC said vessels moving through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz must comply with Iranian naval directives during the ongoing conflict environment. In its statement, the force warned that ships ignoring such instructions risk being targeted.
Iran has increasingly asserted control over maritime traffic in the region, arguing that heightened security measures are necessary as tensions escalate with the United States and Israel.
The strike comes as tensions rise across the Gulf region, where the Persian Gulf and the nearby Strait of Hormuz serve as one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Iran has repeatedly warned that shipping in the region must follow its security instructions during the current confrontation, raising fears that commercial vessels could increasingly become caught in the escalating standoff.
First Published:
March 12, 2026, 16:38 IST
News world Watch: The Moment Iran Strikes US-Linked Safe Sia Tanker In Persian Gulf
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