Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that two oil tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz struck mines and exploded, a version of events the US military has rejected.
The Guards, in a statement published by state news agency IRNA, said the vessels “exploded and caught fire” after attempting to pass through what the statement called a minefield south of the strait. The statement did not name the tankers. The Guards also warned seafarers, saying, “To protect their capital and, more importantly, their lives, the sailors should not be deceived and enter the minefield.”
US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X a brief denial, asserting, “Like most IRGC claims, this is false.”
In a separate declaration on Saturday, the Guards said they had prevented four ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by The New Indian Express.
“In the past hours, four violating ships with the support of the terrorist US army were trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and all four ships were stopped in place during a combined missile and drone operation,” the statement, carried by state broadcaster, said.
Iran has again effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz for a week, seeking to assert control over the strategic waterway. Tehran has directed tankers and cargo vessels to use routes close to its northern coastline and has warned against using southern corridors that the United States has been trying to safeguard.
The US response to Iran’s moves included reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and conducting nightly airstrikes on targets inside Iran that U.S. officials say are used to monitor and threaten shipping in the strait.