Two oil tankers explode after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz, Iran claims

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that two oil tankers had exploded and caught fire after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has restricted maritime traffic.

Since the war with the United States began in February, Iran has insisted that ships obtain its permission before crossing the strategic waterway. It has also attacked vessels that it says failed to comply with its restrictions.

In a statement broadcast by Iranian state television early on Saturday, the Guards’ navy claimed that the two tankers had switched off their radar and positioning systems while attempting to cross the strait secretly through an unauthorised route.

The statement said both vessels struck naval mines, triggering explosions and fires. However, Iranian authorities did not disclose the names or countries of origin of the ships, identifying one of them only as a supertanker.

In response to Iran’s restrictions on the vital shipping route, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and is providing military support to tankers travelling through the waterway.

Iranian armed forces have reported several incidents involving fires and explosions aboard ships in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, frequently attributing them to naval mines.

On Friday, the Revolutionary Guards released footage showing a large plume of smoke rising from a vessel that they claimed was carrying liquefied gas and had struck a mine in the southern part of the strait.

The US military, however, has maintained that it has cleared the main shipping routes through the waterway of naval mines.