Tehran: The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced early Monday that a “violating” oil tanker suffered a blast in the preceding hours after hitting a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement published on the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said the blast caused a fire in the oil tanker’s engine room.
It added that the vessel had turned off its GPS and navigation systems and, in disregard of the regulations, was seeking to exit the strait through the “unauthorised” route south of the waterway, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The IRGC Navy stressed that if vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters turn off their navigation and identification systems, they will be dealt with “severely and decisively.”
Over the past week, the navy has reported that several “violating” oil tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz exploded after striking naval mines.
The navy has claimed to exercise full control and dominance over the strait’s eastern waters, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and is “aware of the risks involved in (vessels’) transit in forbidden regions.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran’s proposed seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is “still on the table.”
Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA on the sidelines of the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
He said Iran’s conditions for ceasing hostilities and reopening the strait were “completely clear” and had been submitted to the United States under the seven-day plan.
Washington has presented its views on the plan, which Tehran is reviewing, he added.
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