Three tankers halted after ‘incidents’ in Hormuz: IRGC
Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Friday said two oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified “incidents” while attempting to transit an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorized route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait,” the IRGC said in a statement.
The tankers had “switched off all their navigation and positioning systems and, with the support of the terrorist US military, were attempting to exit through the unauthorized route,” the statement added.
Hours later, the IRGC Navy said a supertanker hit a naval mine in Hormuz and caught fire.
The IRGC did not specify the nature of the incidents, which came a day after Iran’s Armed Forces said four tankers had stopped in the area after hitting mines.
The IRGC said Friday’s incidents occurred after the vessels received several radio warnings but disregarded them.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC’s Navy said three offending oil tankers, which were passing through the unauthorized route south of the Strait of Hormuz, struck mines, triggering explosions and fires.
It said the vessels were subsequently abandoned off the southern coast of the waterway, which has remained under Iran’s control over the past eight months.
Another tanker had caught fire east of the strait, after hitting mines while “operating in a restricted and dangerous area”, Iran’s Army reported later Thursday.
The IRGC Navy also warned that unauthorized routes in the Strait are mined and that vessel owners and crews are responsible for using those paths.
It further noted that vessel owners and crews should not be misled by the United States Central Command’s (CENTCOM) claims on social media about the Strait of Hormuz.
“The facts on the ground will determine the outcome. Any provocative action, supported by the terrorist and invading US military’s act of mischief, that disregards the regulations governing the Strait will be met with a resolute response,” it cautioned.
Mine-clearing claim
In recent weeks, Iran has reported multiple vessels striking sea mines, prompting CENTCOM, which runs military operations in the region, to reaffirm on social media its insistence that all mines in “primary transit routes” have been cleared.
On Thursday, Hossein Mohebi, the spokesman for the IRGC challenged the claim, saying on X: “Prove your Hormuz mine-clearing claim with independent evidence, not statements!”
Iranian forces have demanded that vessels use a designated route through the strait and coordinate their passage with the country’s armed forces, labelling a southern corridor closer to Oman’s shores as unauthorized.
Iran restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the criminal US-Israeli aggression, which began on February 28 and came to a halt in early April after 40 days.
On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed a Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose Article 5 places responsibility for reopening and managing the Strait squarely in Iran’s hands.
However, Washington attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the strait and imposed a naval blockade in violation of the war-ending deal, prompting Tehran to declare the vital global energy chokepoint closed to all traffic.
Tehran has said it will not reopen the waterway until the United States meets its demands.