Claim : A Pakistan flagged oil tanker was destroyed by Iranian missiles a few hours earlier while crossing the strait of Hormuz.
Conclusion :The claim is false. No credible evidence supports an attack on a Pakistani-flagged tanker by Iran in March 2026, and the footage does not show a Pakistani flag. Iran and Pakistan instead reached a deal announced on March 28, 2026, allowing 20 Pakistani vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Rating : False 
Several social media users have claimed that a Pakistani flagged oil tanker was destroyed by Iranian missiles. Verified X user ‘Theunk5555’ shared such a post on March 27, 2026 with the caption : “A Pakistan flagged oil tanker was destroyed by Iranian missiles few hours earlier while crossing strait of Hormuz. Pakistan has earlier betrayed Iran by re-routing Iranian oil to US. This is a reply by Iran to Pakistan.” It includes a 12-second video of a burning vessel. The post gained more than 4 million views and can be seen below –
A Pakistan flagged oil tanker was destroyed by Iranian missiles few hours earlier while crossing strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan has earlier betrayed Iran by re-routing Iranian oil to US.
This is a reply by Iran to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/VnBUVANVJn— THE UNKNOWN MAN (@Theunk5555) March 27, 2026
Other users have shared similar claims that can be seen here, here and here
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be false. There is no verified evidence that Iran targeted a Pakistani-flagged tanker in March 2026 and the circulating footage does not identify any Pakistani vessel. Instead, reports confirm that on March 28, 2026, Iran agreed to permit 20 Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under a controlled arrangement.
Details:
We first conducted a reverse image search from various keyframes of the video to learn about the origin. The search took us to recent clips here and here that mention how a cargo ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz has been destroyed by Iran. However, none of these clips mention any country’s name or label the vessel as a Pakistani ship.
Following this, the search took us to a clip shared by Instagram user ‘defencealerts’ who reposted the footage claiming it shows the SAFEEN PRESTIGE still burning after the reported strike in the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. The user links the visuals to the incident of a vessel being abandoned by its crew and has reignited multiple times at sea. View a screenshot of this below –
View this post on Instagram
Defense Digest too posted the footage as seen below:
According to both Reuters and Times of Malta, a Malta flagged ship was hit by Iranian missiles on March 4, 2026. View a section of their reports below:
Marinetraffic has confirmed the ship was Malta flagged, owned by Egypt.
Regarding Pakistan ships/vessels status via Strait of Hormuz, we conducted a web search with the phrase “Pakistani ship attacked in Strait of Hormuz” to learn more. As per a TOI report published here on March 25, 2026, Iran denied permission to a Pakistan-bound container vessel. The report notes that the commander of the IRGC Navy said the decision was due to the vessel’s “failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of permission to pass.” However, there is no mention of Iran firing missiles at a Pakistani ship. View a section from the report below –
Another report by Al Jazeera published on 28 March 2026 states that Iran agreed to allow 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz with two ships crossing daily under a controlled arrangement. Pakistan’s foreign minister called the move “a harbinger of peace” and a “welcome and constructive gesture,” The report adds that the strait remains tightly regulated by Iran’s IRGC, with ships requiring clearance and escorts. View a section from the report below –
Thus the vessel destroyed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz does not belong to Pakistan.
Hence the claim is false.
