The Iranian Navy has stated that a tanker was affected by a fire after colliding with a naval mine to the east of the Strait of Hormuz, while sailing with the navigation systems disconnected and without the permission of Iranian forces.
According to a note circulated by the public relations office of the Iranian Navy, the vessel involved was crossing a "restricted zone" located to the east of this strategic maritime corridor at the moment of the explosion.
"The result of any illegal movement, without coordination with the Armed Forces and against regulations, is to encounter mines and fires," the Islamic Republic Navy emphasized in its statement.
This incident adds to episodes recorded during the weekend in the area, after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard reported on Sunday the sinking of two other tankers --one of them a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude-- and on Saturday damage to up to three vessels from explosions of sea mines when attempting to cross the southern route without authorization.
Tehran maintains the declared closure of the Strait of Hormuz --an essential route for global oil transport coming from the Persian Gulf-- after the military offensive launched in February by the United States and Israel against Iran, insisting that navigation is only safe within corridors approved by its Armed Forces.
Washington, for its part, denies that there is an effective blockade of the strait, and argues that it maintains military control outside the crossing and escorts merchant vessels to ensure the continuity of energy exports from the Middle East.