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An oil tanker blew up in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after hitting a sea mine outside a navigation route designated by Iran, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.
Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported that the vessel had moved away from the shipping lane specified by Iranian authorities before the explosion.
The semi-official Mehr News Agency, citing an informed source through Defapress, also reported that the tanker collided with a naval mine after deviating from the designated route.
Authorities have not released information on possible casualties, the identity of the tanker, or the extent of the damage.
The incident follows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s claim on Thursday that three oil tankers attempted to use an unauthorized southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.
The force said one tanker struck an explosive device and caught fire, prompting the other two to turn back after receiving warnings. It also warned that any vessel attempting to transit the waterway without coordinating with Iranian authorities would "suffer the same fate."
Earlier, on July 14, the IRGC claimed it had struck and disabled two supertankers after they allegedly ignored repeated warnings, switched off their navigation systems and entered a mined corridor outside its designated shipping route.
The reported explosion comes as tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to run high over navigation in the strategic waterway.
On June 26, Tehran warned that vessels are "only allowed" to transit the Strait of Hormuz through routes designated by Iranian authorities, saying ships that stray from those corridors would not be guaranteed safe passage or insurance coverage.
The warning followed a dispute over competing navigation schemes after Oman proposed an alternative shipping corridor closer to its own coastline.
Iran rejected that plan, insisting commercial traffic must instead use a corridor it announced in April that runs closer to Iran's coast and requires vessels to remain in contact with the IRGC Navy while crossing the strait.
The dispute escalated into renewed fighting in early July after three commercial vessels were struck in or near the Strait of Hormuz in attacks that Washington blamed on Iran.
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