Two oil tankers have registered several explosions and continue to be engulfed in flames after hitting sea mines while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC), in a statement released by the state-run broadcaster IRIB.
According to the version made public by Iranian forces, one of the ships is located in the eastern area of the strait and the other within the maritime corridor itself. The organization claims that both vessels were trying to proceed along an “unauthorized route” after having turned off their navigation systems.
The Revolutionary Guard has described the tankers as “violators” and has warned that any ship or vessel that cooperates with U.S. forces or fails to comply with the rules imposed by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz — under the control of its Army — “will hit a mine,” calling on the international fleet to disregard orders from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which maintains a naval blockade around Iran’s coasts.
These two new incidents become the third fire recorded this Saturday on an oil tanker due to naval mines placed by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, as part of a strategy with which Tehran intends to solidify its control over this maritime passage, essential for international trade.