The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has assured this Wednesday that two commercial vessels have been hit by mines in the last hours while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The military body has also insisted on its warnings about navigation in this strategic route, in a context of rising tensions with the United States and new exchanges of recent attacks.
According to the statement, the two ships, whose identity has not been revealed, "were forced to disembark their crew" and "were handed over to U.S. agents to cross an illegal route" in this key corridor for oil transport. "They had to stop after colliding with a mine and are on fire," the note indicated, according to information released by Iranian public television, IRIB.
The text emphasizes that "The Navy of the Revolutionary Guard had already warned about the dangers of crossing the mined passage and, furthermore, double sanctions have been foreseen for shipping companies that, instead of following the legal route, fall into the deception of the United States and leave their ships at the enemy's disposal, measures that will be implemented soon."
The Iranian pronouncement has been made public shortly after a Saudi company confirmed the death of two crew members of one of its ships following a "security incident" that occurred late Monday, when the vessel was trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has repeatedly questioned the safety of maritime transit through the southern corridor of this passage. Last week, when announcing a preliminary agreement with Oman to manage traffic in the area, Iranian authorities pointed out that the understanding includes the closure of this route, whose protection the United States claims to exercise in coordination with its regional allies.
In parallel, U.S. President Donald Trump declared on August 25 that the Strait of Hormuz is free of mines and warned Iran that "it will destroy any vessel that tries to place them back" in this strategic enclave, at a time marked by escalating tension and the absence of diplomatic advances towards an agreement to end the conflict in the Middle East.