Iran reports tanker fires after alleged mine strikes near Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting a sea mine south of the strait. In a statement published by the Iranian news agency Tasnim shortly after midnight on Saturday, it said the vessels had attempted to use a route Iran had not authorised, with their radar and positioning systems switched off. It described one as a supertanker.

Iran’s regular navy separately reported that a tanker caught fire and stopped after striking a mine east of the strait on Saturday morning. A later statement carried by the Iranian outlet Defa Press also referred to another tanker catching fire in the area that morning. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the navy’s report.

AFP reported the Guard’s account and the separate navy report as involving three tankers. Nieuws.nl reported that one vessel hit a mine on Saturday morning and two others later in the day. The vessels have not been named, and it is unclear whether the accounts refer to three different ships. The condition of their crews is also unclear.

Iran has restricted passage through the strait, a major shipping route, and the Guard warned shipowners against crossing without coordinating with its traffic control centre. Iran wants ships to travel along its coast, while the United States favours a more southerly route along Oman’s coast. The US military says it has cleared the main routes through the waterway of mines, according to AFP.

The Guard has made similar reports before. On Friday, it said a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas had struck a mine in the strait.