IRGC warns ships with navigation systems off after third tanker hits mine in Hormuz
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has warned that ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz with their navigation and identification systems switched off will be treated as hostile and face decisive action.
The IRGC Navy’s public relations office issued the warning in a statement on Sunday following an incident in which a third supertanker struck a naval mine while using an unauthorized route.
A violating crude oil supertanker struck a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz Sunday evening, triggering an explosion and a fire in its engine room, it said.
According to the statement, the vessel was attempting to leave the strait with a cargo of crude oil when it hit the mine.
It added that the tanker had switched off all its navigation systems and violated the strategic waterway’s regulations by passing through an “unauthorized route”.
“All vessels within the Strait of Hormuz that switch off their navigation and identification systems will be identified as hostile and dealt with firmly and decisively,” the IRGC Navy emphasized.
It noted that the incident marked the third time since the previous day that a non-compliant oil tanker had struck a naval mine and caught fire while using an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC Navy said on Saturday that a crude oil supertanker was in flames after striking a naval mine while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorized and dangerous route”.
It added that the tanker sought to leave the Strait of Hormuz when it struck the mine, triggering a powerful explosion.
The incidents took place after the IRGC naval forces struck a giant liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, attempting to pass through an "illegal route" south of the strategic waterway.
The IRGC warned that action against vessels using unauthorized routes would no longer be confined to the Strait of Hormuz, saying violators would be pursued and punished across the entire region.
Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and came to a halt under a ceasefire in early April amid the Islamic Republic’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations.
Commercial traffic through the strait has fallen sharply, with vessel movements dropping to single digits amid the ongoing war on Iran and the restrictions on shipping through the strategic waterway.
Tehran has said it will not reopen the waterway until the United States meets its demands and takes steps to restore Iran's trust.