TEHRAN, Oct. 12 — The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday announced that a “violating” supertanker suffered an explosion earlier in the day after hitting a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement published on the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said the blast caused a fire in the oil tanker’s engine room. It added that the ship, which was carrying crude oil, had switched off its navigation systems and attempted to exit the Strait of Hormuz.
The navy said the tanker violated the waterway’s regulations and entered the “unauthorized” route. According to the navy, the vessel was the third “violating” oil tanker since Saturday to hit naval mines in the strait’s “unauthorized” route and catch fire.
Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
