The Iranian Navy says a tanker has caught fire after hitting a sea mine east of the Strait of Hormuz while sailing through a prohibited and unsafe zone.

In a statement on Saturday, the Navy said the tanker was operating in the restricted area despite repeated warnings and had switched off its navigation systems.

The vessel caught fire early in the morning following the mine strike and was left unable to move, according to the statement.

The Navy warned that this would be the fate of all vessels violating restrictions and ignoring warnings.

On Friday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after entering restricted waters without coordination with Iranian authorities

IRGC said the two tankers had attempted to leave the Strait of Hormuz through unauthorized passages, despite maritime restrictions imposed by Iran.

The vessels had switched off all their navigation and identification systems while attempting to transit the waterway with the support of the “aggressive and terrorist US military,” the IRGC Navy noted in a statement.

Two oil tankers violating Iran’s maritime restrictions catch fire in Strait of Hormuz: IRGC

Two oil tankers have caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after entering restricted waters without coordination with Iranian authorities, according to the IRGC.

Iranian officials have repeatedly warned commercial vessels against using routes that Tehran has announced as unauthorized and unsafe, particularly those that bypass its maritime coordination requirements.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is one of the world's most important energy passageways, carrying a substantial share of global seaborne oil supplies.

Iran imposed restrictions on the Strait in response to the latest round of US-Israeli aggression, preventing US and allied ships from navigating the strategic waterway.

The move resulted in a significant increase in oil and energy prices across the globe, especially in the US, forcing Washington and the International Energy Agency (IEA) to release their strategic reserves several times.

Following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Tehran opened the Strait of Hormuz, but after the US violated the MoU by blockading Iranian ports, Iran’s Armed Forces closed the maritime corridor once again.