IRGC Navy: Two oil tankers explode, catch fire after hitting mines

Two oil tankers attempting a covert, unauthorized transit through the southern Strait of Hormuz have exploded and caught fire after striking Iranian naval mines, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced.

In a statement released late on Friday, the IRGC Navy Public Relations Office reported that the vessels were attempting to secretly navigate a prohibited route in the strategic waterway. To evade detection, the tankers had deliberately disabled their radar and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS).

The force of the mine strikes triggered massive explosions and severe fires. According to the statement, the towering flames from one of the vessels, identified as a supertanker, lit up the night sky along the southern coasts of the strait, serving as a glaring visual warning to other ships in the area.

The IRGC Navy issued a warning to global ship owners and maritime shipping companies.

The statement emphasized that any attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz without prior coordination with the IRGC Navy's traffic control center, or any disregard for Iran's sovereign maritime arrangements, will result in the exact same destructive consequences.

Failed US escorts

The incident is the latest in a series of failed attempts by smugglers and US-linked vessels to bypass Iran's strict maritime enforcement in the Persian Gulf.

Following the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran that began on February 28, Tehran imposed comprehensive restrictions on the waterway, which is responsible for the transit of roughly one-fifth of the world's global oil supply.

Under Iran's newly enforced Hormuz mechanism, safe passage requires explicit authorization from Iranian authorities.

Massive explosion as violating LPG carrier hits naval mine east of Strait of Hormuz: IRGC

An LPG carrier caught fire east of the Strait of Hormuz after striking a naval mine as the violating carrier tried to pass through an unauthorized route, says the IRGC.

Despite repeated assurances from the US military that it would provide naval escorts and protect commercial shipping, vessels trusting Washington's security guarantees have been consistently halted, struck by mines, or destroyed.

IRGC commanders have repeatedly noted that American promises of protection have proven hollow, exposing the US military's inability to secure the waterway or break Iran's strategic chokehold.

The ongoing maritime blockade has sent global energy prices skyrocketing, triggering severe inflation in Western nations and contributing heavily to the Republican Party's crushing defeat in the recent US midterm elections.