Rescue operation in a strategic waterway
Omani authorities reported rescuing 25 crew members from a burning oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Officials provided few immediate details about the cause of the fire or the condition of those rescued.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and is routinely used by tankers carrying crude oil and other cargoes from Gulf producers to global markets. Incidents in the strait can have outsized effects on regional security and commercial shipping.
The rescue came as Iran said three oil tankers had been halted after attempting to use what Tehran described as "unauthorised routes" to cross the strait. Iranian authorities did not immediately link those stops to the burning tanker, and it was unclear whether the incidents were connected.
Officials have not released a cause for the blaze, and investigators or maritime agencies have yet to publish findings. The overlapping reports underscore ongoing concerns about safety and navigation in the busy waterway, which has seen periodic confrontations and accidents in recent years.