Iran has pushed back on suggestions that the United States was behind explosions near the Strait of Hormuz, even as officials on both sides reported that ships had been struck, Reuters reported on Sunday.
According to Reuters, Tehran's account questions whether Washington was responsible for the blasts. The same reporting says both countries have confirmed hits on vessels, leaving the two sides at odds over what caused the incidents.
Coverage of the same events pointed to a serious situation in the waterway. Al Jazeera reported that three tankers were on fire in the Strait of Hormuz as attacks intensified. Iran's Navy, cited by the Tasnim news agency, said a tanker that was violating rules struck a sea mine in the strait.
The competing accounts leave the sequence of events unclear. Reuters' headline captures the central dispute: Iran is suggesting the explosions were not American attacks, while both governments acknowledge that ships were hit.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil moves, which is why any incident there draws close international attention. The reports did not specify the nationalities of the vessels involved or the extent of the damage.
Watch for further statements from US and Iranian officials clarifying what struck the ships, and for any independent assessment of the cause.
