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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Friday its forces struck a liquefied petroleum gas carrier that was trying to use an "illegal route" south of the Strait of Hormuz, setting off a massive fire, and warned that ships using unauthorized routes would now be pursued across the region.
The vessel, which the Guard identified as the NV Sunshine owned by the Natwit company, "was hit and suffered a massive fire in the engine room and propulsion system," the IRGC navy said in a statement carried by Tasnim News Agency.
The claimed strike and the Guard’s threat to extend its campaign beyond Hormuz raise fresh risks for shipping in a waterway crucial to global energy flows, as Iran seeks to control which routes vessels use.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said it received a report of an incident 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates at 10:00 a.m. GMT Friday.
UKMTO said multiple sources reported the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile, causing a fire that has since been extinguished. The status of the crew, damage and environmental impact were unknown, and authorities are investigating, it said.
It was not immediately clear whether the UKMTO report referred to the vessel named by the IRGC.
The Guard said its naval forces control "the management of the strait" and "have not and will not allow the presence of aggressor armies" in the area.
"Everyone should know that the direct responsibility for these incidents and the escalation of tension in the region’s maritime transport lies with the aggressor U.S. army," the statement said, accusing Washington of "deceiving” shipping and insurance companies and “paying huge bribes."
The IRGC said companies "deceived by the American aggressors" will be sanctioned and that punitive measures will be applied to all vessels of violating companies.
"From now on, dealing with violating vessels will not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz, and any vessel that passes through an unauthorized passage will be pursued throughout the region, and its punishment will be certain," the Guard said, as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz deepen.
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