What happened

Iran's IRGC Navy said it struck the Togo-flagged oil tanker TREND in the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of 17 September, describing the vessel as attempting an "illegal passage" and alleging it had been "deceived and provoked" by U.S. forces. The IRGC said the tanker caught fire and came to a halt after the strike. Arab News, Al Arabiya, Middle East Eye, Israel National News and Xinhua all carried the IRGC's own statement on 17-18 September, but none of the reviewed reporting cited UKMTO, CENTCOM, an operator, insurer or independent vessel-tracking service confirming the strike, the fire, a halted vessel or any casualties. This record is therefore an attributed IRGC claim only, consistent with the site's treatment of the EL GAIA and ROMANCE incidents above and below: it does not establish that a strike occurred, that a fire actually broke out, or that TREND is a real, identifiable vessel at a specific location. It will be updated if UKMTO, CENTCOM or ship-tracking data corroborate or dispute the claim.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.