Iranupdated 1h ago2 min read
Iran’s IRGC Navy Mines Halt Two Tankers And Set Them Ablaze In Strait Of Hormuz
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IRGC Navy mines halted two oil tankers and set them ablaze in Strait of Hormuz. IRGC says tankers were on crossing with navigation systems switched off at an illegal crossing.
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Mines Halt Tankers
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said mines planted by the IRGC Navy halted two tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz and set them ablaze at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the strait. The IRGC said it had repeatedly targeted ships attempting to pass through Hormuz via a southern route close to the Omani coast since the outbreak of the Middle East war.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi blamed Washington for insecurity in the strait, as the Guards said attacks on vessels attempting to cross the waterway had increased in recent days. The IRGC also said it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, and it added that a tanker caught fire after hitting a mine on Monday while two other tankers had hit mines the day before.
Engine Room Fire
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said an oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz late Sunday, and it said the blast struck the vessel’s engine room. The IRGC Navy said the tanker had switched off all its positioning and navigation systems from the start of its voyage and attempted to use what Tehran considers an unauthorized southern route.
The IRGC Navy warned that ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf with their navigation and identification systems switched off would face a firm response. The IRGC Navy said it did not identify the tanker or provide information on possible casualties or the extent of the damage, and it described the incident as part of a series of similar incidents in the strategic waterway.
Competing Claims and Stakes
Iran’s IRGC said a supertanker carrying about two million barrels of crude hit a mine while sailing an “unauthorised” route with its tracking systems off, and it framed the explosion and engine room fire as enforcement against ships ignoring new transit rules. Reuters reporting carried by other outlets said Iranian state media described two tankers catching fire after mine strikes, but Reuters said the reports had not been independently confirmed.
The IRGC said mines planted by IRGC naval forces exploded in the illegal southern route and set two violating tankers ablaze and stopped them, while it warned that crossing the mined, illegal route would result in nothing but the assets of violators being set on fire. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately reported multiple attacks on vessels in and around the strait, and the dispute over control of the waterway continued as Iran said vessels must follow routes approved by Tehran while the US rejected Iran’s restrictions.