IRGC says two tankers stopped south of Strait of Hormuz after ignoring radio warnings from Iran

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Friday that two oil tankers that switched off their navigation systems were involved in an incident and stopped in waters south of the Strait of Hormuz, after ignoring radio warnings and attempting to use what it described as an unauthorized route through the strategic waterway.In a separate incident, a small boat attached two limpet mines to the hull of a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz causing a fire in its engine room and temporarily disabling the vessel, in the first successful use of such explosives in the waterway since the US war with Iran began in February, maritime sources said on Friday.The crew was safe, there was no environmental impact and the fire had been extinguished, British navy agency United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory note, adding that the vessel, which it did not name, was continuing to its next port of call.UKMTO WARNING 187-26 UPDATE 001 Click here to view the full product⤵️ https://t.co/ashHdPmfaI #MaritimeSecurity #MarSec https://t.co/PO5X3LlNCO— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) October 30, 2026The incident occurred on Thursday, 25 nautical miles (46 km) northeast of Oman's Khasab, UKMTO said.It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.IRGC claims responsibility for both attacks"Early this morning, an enemy vessel operating within the operational zone east of the Strait of Hormuz was struck and destroyed by the brave personnel of the Army Navy," a spokesperson for the IRGC's Navy said in a statement."Furthermore, two enemy oil tankers - which had violated regulations by disabling their tracking systems and navigating through prohibited and unsafe waters east of the Strait of Hormuz, despite receiving warnings - sustained damage and caught fire after striking naval mines."

The owners of the oil tankers shall bear full responsibility for all consequences resulting from this unauthorized transit and the disregard for safety and maritime warnings," the statement added."We warn the enemy that any movement, infiltration, or provocative action within areas under the surveillance of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be met with a decisive and proportionate response."Iran has repeatedly attacked commercial tankers transiting HormuzThe incident comes amid repeated attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil export routes, since the outbreak of the conflict between the US and Iran in February.Iran has hit vessels it says have violated its restrictions on passage through the strategic waterway, as it seeks to assert control over the strait and exert pressure on Washington.The tanker - the Panama-flagged Louise 1 - was targeted with limpet mines, according to assessments from three maritime security sources.

This is the first known successful strike using limpet mines in the area since the beginning of the US war with Iran and followed a separate attempt in September using such devices which did not detonate, two of the sources said."

The apparent ability of a small craft to approach a transiting tanker, deploy explosive devices and withdraw presents a significant security concern, particularly in the Strait's congested shipping lanes," Greece-based maritime risk management group Marisks said in a note on Friday.Limpet mines have been deployed in Hormuz since 2017Marisks said limpet mines were first deployed in the region in 2017 and used against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in subsequent years, adding that "limpet mines are cheap and easily available.""

The methodology of a small craft attaching these mines on the hulls of vessels in transit is cheap, low-tech and very efficient," it said.Ukrainian forces also hit the Louise 1 in July with naval drones in the Black Sea over what Ukraine's SBU security service said was its role in transporting Russian oil and being part of the so-called shadow fleet of tankers deployed by Moscow to keep oil exports flowing.

The vessel's Panama-based operator, listed in shipping databases as Aquarius Maritime Ventures, could not be immediately reached for comment.