OMM Newsroom
Three oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire while travelling through what Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy called unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz, the force said on Tuesday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Citing a statement from the IRGC Navy’s public relations office, Tasnim News Agency reported that the tankers exploded and caught fire after entering the routes with their navigation and identification systems switched off.
The incidents took place in the early hours of Tuesday, and the fires lit up the eastern part of the strait through the night, the statement said. The IRGC said the tankers had been abandoned near the strait’s southern shores and were still burning.
The force said Iranian navigation rules for the strait had been repeatedly communicated to vessels through radio broadcasts and official naval notices. It warned that ships ignoring the rules and cooperating with the US military to use unauthorized routes could face similar incidents.
The statement also disputed remarks by the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) about conditions in the strait, accusing him of using archival footage on social media to misrepresent the situation.
The IRGC did not name the tankers or give details about their crews, casualties or the extent of the damage. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the reported incidents.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a major flashpoint since the US and Israel launched their military offensive against Iran on Feb. 28. Iranian forces have tightened control over maritime traffic through the waterway, while Tehran has accused Washington of maintaining a naval blockade.
The statement followed a separate announcement by Iran’s Navy on Monday that an oil tanker had struck a naval mine and caught fire in an area it described as prohibited and unsafe, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
