The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran communicated this Monday that a "super tanker" has been "set on fire" after colliding with "two naval mines" while attempting to cross the "illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz," a maritime corridor that Tehran attributes to the United States for the passage of vessels through this strategic enclave.
According to the statement released by the Tasnim agency, linked to this military body, "a super tanker attempting to transit the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz has caught fire and has become completely immobilized after colliding with two naval mines."
In the same note, the naval branch of the Revolutionary Guard has warned that "the fate of vessels that violate the safety rules of the Strait of Hormuz will not be different," in direct reference to the rules set by Iranian authorities for transit through this maritime route.
The statement insists that "it is mandatory to comply with the passage and navigation rules issued by the Navy of the Revolutionary Guard," before emphasizing that "shipping companies should not be deceived by the provocations of the U.S. military that kills children nor unnecessarily expose the property and lives of their crews to destruction."
Tehran has reiterated on numerous occasions its rejection of the use of the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz for maritime traffic. In fact, last Tuesday, when announcing an agreement with Oman for the joint management of passage through this key point, Iranian authorities indicated that the understanding includes the closure of this route, which Washington claims to supervise. This was pointed out to the news portal Axios by two U.S. officials, who highlighted that about 10 million barrels of crude circulate through this area every day.