Supertanker Hits Mine, 2 Tankers Burn in Hormuz, IRGC Says
(MENAFN) Two oil tankers were set ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after explosions erupted along what Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) called “an unauthorized route,” according to the force’s account of the incident.
In a statement carried by a semi-official Iranian news agency, the IRGC Navy said both vessels were stopped in an “unauthorized” shipping corridor, where blasts and major fires broke out.
A supertanker struck a naval mine and exploded, the statement said.
The second vessel, which the IRGC claimed had backing from US military fighter jets, suffered an unspecified incident as it tried to slip “secretly” through the restricted passage. It was left stranded and engulfed in flames, the IRGC said.
Both ships had switched off their navigation and identification systems before attempting the crossing, the IRGC Navy said. The burning tankers lay near the strait’s southern shores.
The IRGC Navy cautioned that the passage remains unsafe and threatened similar consequences for any vessel that cooperates with the US military and tries to use it.
The statement did not name the tankers or identify their flags or operators. It also gave no information on casualties or the condition of the crews. The US military has not immediately confirmed the alleged involvement of American fighter jets.
The claim follows a string of maritime incidents in the strait, where Iran has restricted commercial shipping as its confrontation with the US drags on.
The waterway links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and carries a vital share of the world’s oil and gas shipments. Traffic has been severely disrupted since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, sparking a regional conflict and a prolonged dispute over navigation rights.
In a statement carried by a semi-official Iranian news agency, the IRGC Navy said both vessels were stopped in an “unauthorized” shipping corridor, where blasts and major fires broke out.
A supertanker struck a naval mine and exploded, the statement said.
The second vessel, which the IRGC claimed had backing from US military fighter jets, suffered an unspecified incident as it tried to slip “secretly” through the restricted passage. It was left stranded and engulfed in flames, the IRGC said.
Both ships had switched off their navigation and identification systems before attempting the crossing, the IRGC Navy said. The burning tankers lay near the strait’s southern shores.
The IRGC Navy cautioned that the passage remains unsafe and threatened similar consequences for any vessel that cooperates with the US military and tries to use it.
The statement did not name the tankers or identify their flags or operators. It also gave no information on casualties or the condition of the crews. The US military has not immediately confirmed the alleged involvement of American fighter jets.
The claim follows a string of maritime incidents in the strait, where Iran has restricted commercial shipping as its confrontation with the US drags on.
The waterway links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and carries a vital share of the world’s oil and gas shipments. Traffic has been severely disrupted since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, sparking a regional conflict and a prolonged dispute over navigation rights.
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