Tehran: In an incident that could have caused several casualties, an oil tanker supposedly exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with a naval mine.
The collision apparently occurred outside a navigation route designated by Iran, Tehran’s state-affiliated media reported on Sunday.
The oil tanker had allegedly drifted away from the shipping lane specified by the Iranian authorities in the strategic waterway before colliding with the mine, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.
However, there is no information available on casualties, the identity of the vessel, or the extent of the damage caused by the explosion, as reported by The Indian Express.
On June 26, Iran had threatened that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is “only allowed” through routes designated by Tehran’s military.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that the vessel collided with a naval mine after it deviated from the designated route. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified in recent weeks, with military operations resuming by both countries.
The latest round of hostilities began after US president Donald Trump declared on July 8 that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Iran last month was over, accusing Tehran of violating the agreement.
The mine explosion follows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) claim on Thursday that three oil tankers allegedly tried to use an unauthorised route in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz.
One of the oil tankers struck an explosive device in the strategic waterway and caught fire, prompting the other two vessels to turn back, the IRGC said. Iranian forces warned that any vessel attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the authorities would “suffer the same fate.”
The IRGC also struck and disabled two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on July 14 after the vessels allegedly ignored Iranian military warnings, switched off their transponders, and entered a mined corridor outside the designated shipping route.
