Second supertanker explodes after striking naval mine in Hormuz: IRGC Navy
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy says a second supertanker has caught fire after striking a naval mine while attempting to illegally transit a maritime route in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, the IRGC Navy’s public relations office said the incident occurred on Saturday morning, triggering a massive explosion in the vessel’s engine room and bringing the ship to a halt.
It added that the tanker was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and had switched off all its positioning and radar systems.
The vessel, misled by the US military, was trying to pass through an “illegal” route, according to the statement.
Earlier on Saturday, a supertanker carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil was engulfed in flames after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz while attempting to transit through an unauthorized route with its tracking systems switched off.
In a warning to all maritime traffic, the IRGC Navy declared that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed in accordance with Iran's sovereign decisions and maritime regulations.
"The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the consequence of defying Iranian regulations in the Strait of Hormuz is burning in the fire of trust in the terrorist US army," the IRGC Navy stated, in a rebuke to vessels attempting to rely on US military protection rather than adhering to Iranian maritime protocols.
The incidents come against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, which began on February 28.
Following the US military's violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in July, the Iranian armed forces launched devastating retaliatory strikes against strategic American positions across West Asia and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to unauthorized traffic.
The IRGC has repeatedly warned that all vessels must coordinate with Iranian authorities before transiting the strait and that unauthorized passage, particularly under US military escort, will be treated as a hostile act with severe consequences.