Two fishing boats were struck by drones in the Persian Gulf on Monday night, Iranian media reported, with several crew members reported missing. Iranian authorities have mobilized forces to search for and rescue the crews.
The deputy governor of Hormozgan province told the Iranian news agency Mehr that the two fishing boats were attacked off the port of Kargan.
A search and rescue operation is under way, and the fate of the crew members remains unclear. Iranian media reported that several people are missing.
CENTCOM disputes Iranian account of tanker attack
Hours earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations across the Middle East, had rejected a claim made by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps about the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia.
The Revolutionary Guards, a branch of Iran's armed forces that operates alongside the country's regular military, had said the tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM rejected that account in a post on X. "CLAIM: 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," the command wrote on September 14, 2026. "FACT: The Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable."
Second strike reported off Oman over the weekend
According to the U.S. command, the tanker was attacked again over the weekend, this time by an Iranian drone, while it was off the coast of Oman.
CENTCOM said El Gaia is currently being towed by a regional partner.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is one of the world's busiest routes for oil shipments, and has repeatedly been the scene of tension between Iran and the United States and its allies.
