Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that two “violating” oil tankers seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route caught fire after hitting naval mines.
In a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet ‘Sepah News’, the IRGC’s navy said both vessels had turned off their navigation and identification systems and were trying to exit the strait through the “unauthorised” route with the “aggressive and terrorist” US Army’s support, but were stopped after hitting the naval mines.
IRGC Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Closed
The navy stressed that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and no change will occur to the waterway’s status quo unless the United States meets Iran’s seven conditions, Xinhua News Agency reported.
It added that bids by the forces of US Central Command to compel oil tankers to cross the waterway through the mined route will lead to nothing but “consecutive and abject” defeats.
Three Vessels Caught Fire in Separate Incidents
On Thursday, IRGC said that three vessels, including two supertankers, caught fire in two separate incidents the previous night while crossing the Strait of Hormuz through an “illegal and unauthorised” route south of the waterway.
In a statement on Sepah News, the IRGC said that in one of the incidents, an oil tanker caught fire after hitting naval mines as it was passing through the “illegal” route.
In the other incident, another oil tanker, which was leaving the strait through the same route, was stopped after catching fire east of the waterway. A tugboat that had approached the oil tanker to help contain the blaze also caught fire, the statement said.
IRGC Claims Control of Two US Drones
In a separate operation, members of its naval electronic warfare unit took control of two “invading” low-cost uncrewed combat attack system drones and landed them unharmed, the IRGC said.
It accused the US government of imposing “very heavy” insurance costs on American taxpayers and its allies in West Asia by enticing vessels into committing violations and passing through the mined route in the strait.