The Sabiti, a tanker capable of carrying 1 million barrels of crude, was damaged on Friday near the Saudi port of Jeddah after being hit by suspected missiles, Iranian state media said.
NIOC said the explosion hit the vessel's hull, causing heavy damages to its main reservoirs, resulting in an oil spill in the Red Sea.
"We are aware of the reports, but we don't have any further information", a spokesperson for the Navy's Fifth Fleet told Reuters.
The state-run IRNA news agency, quoting Iran's National Iranian Tanker Co., identified the stricken vessel as the Sabiti.
In recent months, the USA and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for several attacks in the region.
Pressure in the region have been steadily rising since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement and imposed strict sanctions on the country.
"Saudi Arabia is a longstanding security partner in the Middle East and has asked for additional support to supplement their own defense and defend the worldwide rules-based order", he told reporters at the Pentagon. The U.S. and Saudis blamed the attack on Iran, which denies involvement.
US Congress given green light to seek Trump financial records
The judges went on to call the congressional subpoena for Trump's records "a valid exercise of the legislative authority". The lone dissent in Friday's ruling came from Judge Neomi Rao, who Trump nominated to the bench this year.
The oil tanker was 60 miles off Jeddah, a port city in Saudi Arabia when the explosion took place.
The most recent deployment is part of a series of what the United States has described as defensive moves following the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities on 14 September, which rattled global energy markets and exposed major gaps in the kingdom's air defences.
Yemens Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but a USA official said they originated from southwestern Iran.
Earlier in August, Saudi Aramco's Shaybah gas plant was reportedly targeted by drones, Yemen's Houthi rebels had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The ship was hit twice within a 30-minute interval from the east of the Red Sea near its crossing route, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Telegram.
Tanker rates have soared to multi-year highs in recent weeks after U.S. sanctions on units of Chinese shipping giant COSCO and after the attacks on Saudi oil sites.
Iran has denied allegations it was behind the attack.
Comments