Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that two oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz along routes Tehran had not authorised, according to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA.
The Guards said one tanker struck a mine in the eastern part of the strait and the other elsewhere in the waterway. The statement did not identify either vessel or give their nationalities. “The two tankers had reportedly committed multiple violations, including switching off their navigation and positioning systems, as they attempted to transit through an unauthorised route,” the Guards said.
Tehran has sharply restricted traffic through the strait since the war began in late February, requiring ships to follow routes approved by Iranian authorities. The United States responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helping tankers transit the waterway, which normally carries about one-fifth of the oil consumed globally.
Iranian authorities have issued several reports in recent weeks of ships catching fire in the strait. US Central Command said last month that it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer. It has also said that all mines had been cleared from the waterway.
Separately, IRNA reported late on Saturday that explosions had been heard in several parts of southern Iran.“Sounds resembling explosions were heard in Qeshm, Sirik, Jask, and Bandar Abbas. The cause of the sounds remains unknown,” the agency wrote on Telegram. IRNA said officials had confirmed an “impact” in the port city of Jask. The agency did not link the reports to the tanker fires.
US President Donald Trump previously raised the possibility of resuming large-scale strikes on Iran but has since backed away from that position. The US military has continued to carry out occasional limited strikes.
