Iranian Revolutionary Guard: Fire broke out on an oil tanker after it struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz
Amman2 min read
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The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Monday that a fire broke out on board an oil tanker after it struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic passage located at the heart of the ongoing war between Washington and Tehran.
The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement, carried by the official IRNA agency, that "an offending oil tanker struck a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz, which led to an explosion and a fire in the engine room," without providing information regarding the tanker.
It added, "This tanker, which intended to leave the Strait of Hormuz, was involved in this incident while attempting to pass through the unauthorized southern route of the strait after having turned off all GPS and navigation systems since the beginning of its journey, and without regard for the regulations of the Strait of Hormuz."
It emphasized that "if ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz (...) turn off their navigation and identification systems, they will be dealt with severely and firmly."
Since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East with US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic in February, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global energy supplies passed before the war, and regularly targets ships that enter it without obtaining its permission.
Ships attempt to cross the strait without obtaining permission from Tehran by navigating along the Omani coast. Iran considers this a violation of the rules and regularly threatens to take action against them.
