Two sailors are missing, and 23 others have been rescued after an attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Oman’s Maritime Security Centre. The Panama-flagged vessel El Gaia was being towed to an Omani port on Tuesday after a fire broke out in its engine room. The incident occurred 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) north of the Musandam peninsula, a narrow stretch of water between Oman and Iran. The strait is a critical global shipping route, through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas is transported. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed the tanker hit naval mines and caught fire while passing through what they called a restricted and unsafe route. However, the U.S. military denied this, stating the vessel was struck by an Iranian missile last month and again by a drone over the weekend. The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations centre also reported a fire on a vessel struck by an unknown projectile in the early hours of Sunday, adding to the growing concerns over the safety of maritime traffic in the region. This is not the first time Iran has made similar claims. Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards said a Saudi-owned oil supertanker, the Sidr, caught fire after hitting a naval mine. However, Saudi authorities blamed Iran for the attack, and maritime security firms reported that the vessel was hit by projectiles north of Musandam. These incidents have raised tensions and underscored the risks faced by commercial vessels in the area. The International Maritime Organization has reported that at least 22 seafarers have been killed in 79 confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the rest of the Middle East since the start of the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran in late February. The strait has effectively been closed due to Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels and a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. In June, the U.S. and Iran reached a preliminary agreement to end the conflict and reopen the strait. However, the deal collapsed within weeks after Iran resumed attacks on shipping and the U.S. reinstated its blockade. Iran has stated it will not relinquish some control over the waterway and has targeted vessels using a southern route through Omani waters, which bypasses its preferred route through Iranian waters.