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Three oil tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting mines while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz via a southern route Tehran deems unauthorized, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Thursday.
The tankers were abandoned off the strait’s southern coast, the IRGC navy said, as Iran's army vowed the waterway would not reopen until Tehran's conditions are fully met.
"Over the past 24 hours, three violating oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking mines while attempting to pass through the unauthorized southern route of the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by Iranian media.
The vessels had "switched off all their radar and navigation systems" and ignored IRGC Navy warnings, the statement said. It was not immediately clear when the incidents occurred or which flags the tankers flew.
"The IRGC Navy states that the unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz is mined and that vessel owners and crews are responsible for transiting these routes and should not pay attention to CENTCOM’s delusions on social media," the statement said.
Iran has accused U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) of encouraging vessels to use a southern corridor near the Omani coast. The IRGC said any "provocative action" backed by the U.S. military that ignores the strait’s rules "will be dealt with decisively."
The British maritime agency UKMTO said earlier Thursday it had received a report of a ship on fire in the strait but gave no details on the cause or casualties.
It was unclear if it was one of the three tankers.
"The Strait of Hormuz is today under the strategic control of Iran’s armed forces and will never be opened until the full realization of the Islamic Republic’s conditions," an Iranian army spokesperson said, according to Iranian media.
The spokesman said the enemy first targeted Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, then sought to topple the government, and finally openly declared aims to partition Iran. He said the hidden goal of U.S. actions was realizing a "Greater Israel" plan.
Since the war began Feb. 28, Iran has severely restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil and gas consumption.
The U.S. has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
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