IRGC says three tankers exploded after hitting naval mines in Strait of Hormuz

Three oil tankers were struck by explosions and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Tuesday after hitting naval mines, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC said the vessels were moving along an unauthorized route through the strait.

According to the IRGC account, the tankers had switched off their navigation and identification systems before passing through unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz. The explosions and resulting fires were intense enough that fishermen in the eastern part of the strait reported a night lit by the flames, the force said.

The three tankers were left along the southern shores of the Strait of Hormuz and were still ablaze at the time of the report. The IRGC described the vessels as "violating" tankers. No further details were immediately provided on the vessels' identities, flags, crews or cargo, and there was no immediate independent confirmation of the incident.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes, and it has long been a flashpoint in regional tensions. Shipping through the strait has repeatedly been affected by security incidents in recent years.

According to Mehr News, the IRGC said the tankers had disabled their navigation and identification systems and traveled along unauthorized routes before striking the mines, and that the vessels remained on fire off the southern shores of the strait.