The World - News from Jan. 22, 1988

Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz mistakenly attacked a tanker carrying butane and propane to Iran, shipping executives said. The captain of the Norwegian-owned, Singapore-flagged vessel said that one tank was punctured but that a small fire died down and his 28-man crew escaped injury, according to the executives. The ship, identified as the 11,470-ton liquefied petroleum gas carrier Havpil, was the latest to be hit in the so-called tanker war between Iran and Iraq. Meanwhile, the fourth U.S. Navy-escorted tanker convoy of the year was reported heading up the gulf.