IRGC Navy says two supertankers exploded after crossing unauthorized route in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said two supertankers exploded and were stopped overnight after crossing an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement issued by the force's public relations office.

The statement said the two vessels entered the unauthorized southern route despite repeated warnings from the IRGC Navy's Strait of Hormuz traffic control center that the route was illegal and unsafe. The two ships were described as supertankers carrying a combined total of more than 4 million barrels of oil, and the IRGC Navy said both were burning as a result of what it called their reliance on the U.S. military.

The IRGC Navy further warned that any vessel in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz that switches off its navigation systems and cooperates with what it termed the U.S. smuggling army in crossing the unauthorized southern route of the strait will meet the same fate. The statement did not provide details on the crews of the two vessels, their nationalities, flags, or the exact timing 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. The IRGC Navy maintains a traffic control center for the strait and has previously issued warnings about vessels using routes it considers unauthorized.

The Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported the IRGC Navy statement. No independent confirmation of the incident, or response from shipping authorities or the vessels' operators, was included in the report.