Tehran: The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Sunday two “violating” oil tankers attempting to pass through an “unauthorized” route in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after hitting naval mines.
In a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said that one tanker hit mines east of the strait and the other while crossing the waterway.
Both vessels had turned off navigation and GPS systems and were burning following the explosions, it added.
The IRGC warned that any vessel cooperating with the “aggressive” US Army and entering the “unauthorized” region in the strait in defiance of Iranian regulations would “definitely” hit naval mines, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media platform X that its forces had disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its civilian crew “ignored repeated warnings and attempted to violate the naval blockade against Iran multiple times.”
“A US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the ship after CENTCOM forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces. The cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port,” it added.
Since July, US forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels and disabled five merchant ships that refused to comply with the blockade, CENTCOM said.
It added that US forces had previously destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers, alleging that they were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.
Iran tightened its grip on the strait on February 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory. The United States has also imposed a naval blockade against the country.
(IANS)
