Iranupdated 19m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 6 December 2018IRGC Navy Says Two Oil Tankers Caught Fire After Striking Mines in Strait of Hormuz
9 West Asian2 Asian2 Western Mainstream1 OtherPhoto: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Two oil tankers struck mines and caught fire crossing Hormuz routes, IRGC says One tanker exploded after colliding with a naval mine; second hit a mine, burning
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Two tankers, mine and fire
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said two oil tankers were halted after suffering major explosions and fires while attempting to navigate an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office said the first vessel, a very large crude carrier, struck a sea mine, triggering an explosion and fire.
The IRGC Navy said the second tanker was being escorted by U.S. Navy fighter jets and also caught fire while attempting to secretly transit the unauthorized route.
The IRGC Navy added that both vessels had switched off their navigation and identification systems before attempting to cross the route, and it said the tankers subsequently struck the Strait of Hormuz’s “firewall” before being abandoned along the waterway’s southern shore, still engulfed in flames.
Competing counts near Hormuz
Al Jazeera said the IRGC struck three tankers near the Strait of Hormuz over “US links,” after an oil tanker caught fire near the strait following Iran’s claim of striking three tankers for using “unauthorised routes” through the waterway in coordination with the US military. The Maritime Executive identified the Navig8 Messi as the vessel hit by the IRGC northwest of Khasab, Oman, and it said the crewmembers were evacuated and no injuries have been reported.
The Al-Manar TV Lebanon account said the IRGC Navy reported two oil tankers set ablaze after attempting to cross the unauthorized Hormuz route, while the Al Jazeera report described an IRGC claim involving three tankers. The Maritime Executive said UKMTO received a second report of a tanker attack from a company security officer, and it said all crew are reported safe, with no reports of any environmental impact.
Threats, mine-clearing dispute
The IRGC Navy warned that vessels cooperating with the U.S. military and attempting to transit the unauthorized route would “meet the same fate,” and it reiterated that vessels must refrain from using the route.
Mehr News Agency quoted IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebi rejecting reports that naval mines had been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz, saying, “No war mines have been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz. This claim is an outright lie,”.
The Maritime Executive said U.S. forces also targeted and disabled an Iran-linked bulker, the 1999-built Huda, and it reported that CENTCOM asserted the crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to violate the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office said the tankers were abandoned along the waterway’s southern shore, still engulfed in flames, while the IRGC spokesman said no one would dare enter the Strait of Hormuz to conduct mine-clearing operations.