IRGC says two oil tankers explode after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz
The IRGC Navy says two oil tankers, one a supertanker, exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz - a claim not independently confirmed. UKMTO separately reported projectile strikes on tankers.
Two oil tankers, including a supertanker, suffered explosions and were stopped after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said Sunday, in a claim carried by Iranian state media that has not been independently confirmed.
In a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet, the navy said the tankers were transiting an "unauthorized" route in the strait and had switched off their navigation and identification systems. The supertanker "suffered a massive explosion and is burning," the statement said, adding that the vessel was brought to a halt.
The IRGC spokesperson claimed the tankers sought to pass covertly with US military support. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the Iranian account.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker passing through the strait was hit by an unknown projectile earlier Sunday, according to the master of a nearby vessel. UKMTO did not say who fired the projectile or whether that incident was connected to the explosions described by the IRGC.
On Monday, UKMTO reported another incident: a tanker traveling southeast through the Gulf was struck by two unidentified projectiles on its port side, 72 nautical miles east of Saudi Arabia's Ras al-Khafji. All crew members were accounted for and no environmental impact was reported.
The reported explosions follow repeated attacks on commercial shipping in and around the strait, one of the world's most important oil export routes, since the conflict between the US and Iran began in February. Iran has targeted vessels it says violated its restrictions on passage as it seeks to assert control over the waterway and pressure Washington.
On Friday, the IRGC said two tankers that had switched off their navigation systems were stopped in waters south of the strait after ignoring radio warnings, and Iran said it destroyed a US unmanned vessel in the eastern strait - a claim the US military did not immediately confirm.
Oil prices slipped more than 1 percent Monday as talks continued on ending the conflict, with President Trump again saying he expected it to end soon.
(Photo: US Navy, illustrative)