Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Friday a supertanker hit a naval mine and exploded in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while separately reporting two oil tankers halted after unspecified incidents.
The Guards said the two other vessels were trying to leave by a route Iran calls unauthorized after disabling their navigation and positioning equipment. They said the tankers ignored several radio warnings but did not describe the incidents that led to the halt.
In a separate statement, the IRGC said the supertanker carried two million barrels of oil. It said the blast brought the day’s number of tankers it had linked to explosions and fires to three, during attempts to use a route Iran rejects.
Iran’s army separately reported two tankers burning in the eastern part of the strait after mine strikes. A day earlier, Iranian armed forces said mine strikes had left at least four tankers stopped in the area. EconoTimes previously covered an earlier IRGC account of a tanker fire south of Hormuz.
Iranian forces have demanded that commercial ships coordinate passage with the military and follow a designated corridor. They describe a southern route closer to Oman as unauthorized.