longer.blue

“ Iran says a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil caught fire after hitting a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, the fourth tanker it says exploded on Friday alone. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed the ships had switched off their tracking systems and ignored warnings while using what Tehran calls an “unauthorized” route, the southern lane the U.S. promotes as safe. The Associated Press could not verify those claims, but Oman’s navy rescued 25 crew members from a Panamanian-flagged tanker that was attacked and set ablaze off its coast. Britain’s maritime monitor also reported that another vessel was hit by an “unknown projectile” near Iran’s Lavan Island. October has already seen more attacks on ships in the region than any other month of the war. All of this comes as U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper keeps insisting that the southern lanes are “free and clear” and that Iran’s navy is “all at the bottom of the sea.”. From Aaron Parnas newsletter