TEHRAN – Iranian Oil Ministry sources told Mehr News Agency that recent incidents in the Gulf of Aden have nothing to do with Iran, referring to the October 18, 2025 incident in which an oil tanker caught fire off the coast of Yemen.
“This ship does not belong to the (Iranian) Ministry of Oil or the Iranian National Tanker Company,” the official said. The denial came in the wake of reports that Israel had attacked an oil tanker believed to be Iranian-owned and headed for Yemen.
At least one crew member is missing after a Cameroonian-flagged vessel caught fire after being hit by a possible projectile in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen on Saturday, and another person was probably still on board the burning tanker after the remaining crew members abandoned ship, reports said.
British and European Union officials have differing views on the cause of the fire on board the LPG tanker Falcon, with Britain suggesting it was struck by a projectile, while the EU said it appeared to be an accident. It warned ships in the area that the vessel was “full” of liquefied petroleum gas and could explode.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received reports that a ship 116 nautical miles east of Aden had been hit by a projectile and a fire had broken out on board. The newspaper said maritime authorities were “ascertaining the details of the incident” and urged ships in the area to be cautious and report any suspicious activity.
Separately, British maritime security firm Ambry said the tanker had suffered an onboard explosion about 60 nautical miles south of Ahwar, a district in Yemen’s Abia governorate, and had issued a distress call. Ambry said the explosion was caused by a projectile launched from an unknown source off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. No injuries were reported to the crew, and there was no immediate comment from the Houthis.
The Indian-owned Cameroon-flagged tanker had already been impounded in Istanbul in January 2025 due to 13 deficiencies. This ship has not been blacklisted by any government.