US rejects Iranian claim that tanker hit mine near Hormuz

The US military's Central Command on Monday denied an Iranian claim that a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker had struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said the El Gaia tanker "was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable" before being hit again by an Iranian drone over the weekend while off the coast of Oman.

The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner, CENTCOM said, calling the claim by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "another example of their lies and intimidation attempts."

The IRGC Navy said Monday that the El Gaia had exploded after striking naval mines south of the Strait of Hormuz.