IRGC Navy says two tankers exploded after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Sunday that two tankers exploded and were burning after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz area, according to a statement issued by its public relations office. One vessel was located east of the strait and the other inside it, the statement said.

According to the IRGC Navy, both vessels had committed multiple violations and had switched off their navigation and positioning systems before attempting to cross an unauthorized route. The statement described the ships as "violating tankers" and said they struck mines while trying to use that route.

The IRGC Navy warned that, as it had previously announced, any ship or vessel that cooperates with what it called the aggressor and plundering U.S. military, defies Iranian regulations in the Strait of Hormuz and enters the unauthorized zone will certainly strike a mine. It also urged vessels not to heed what it described as the fantasies of the CENTCOM commander.

The statement did not provide further details on the identity, flag or cargo of the two vessels, the extent of damage, or reports of casualties. No independent confirmation of the incidents was immediately available in the IRGC Navy's remarks as carried in the report.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a large share of global seaborne oil trade passes. Tensions in the waterway have repeatedly affected shipping and insurance costs in recent years, and the IRGC Navy has previously issued warnings about restricted routes.

The IRGC Navy's public relations office issued the statement, and the report was carried by Mehr News Agency (MNA), which provided the account of the explosions and the warning to shipping.