The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy announced that a supertanker exploded after striking a sea mine while attempting to navigate an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, marking the third tanker to suffer an explosion on Friday.
In a statement issued on Friday, the IRGC Navy said the supertanker had been carrying more than two million barrels of oil and was left burning at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement said the vessel had struck a sea mine while navigating an unauthorized route through the strategic waterway.
Earlier on Friday, the IRGC Navy reported that two other oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, had encountered incidents and were stopped in the southern waters of the strait.
According to the earlier statement, the two vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and, with the support of the US military, attempted to pass through unauthorized routes. The IRGC Navy said they ignored repeated radio warnings, entered unsafe areas and subsequently encountered incidents, with fires reported aboard the vessels.
The Navy attributed the incidents to hostile actions by the US military and the tankers’ disregard for Iranian regulations governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
