Iran’s IRGC Navy Strikes Two ‘Unauthorised’ Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) navy announced on Friday that it struck two supertankers navigating an “unauthorised” route south of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels hit naval mines and exploded, setting their engine rooms on fire and bringing them to a halt.

The tankers were carrying a combined total of more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil, according to the IRGC navy, and their crews abandoned the ships following the blasts.

This incident follows a reported security event in the strategic waterway the previous day, when Iran targeted four “offending” tankers and destroyed navigational aid systems for vessels violating traffic rules in the Strait.

The IRGC warned that if oil smuggling resumes in the strait, more severe actions will be taken against violating vessels and technical aid systems.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, and Iran has tightened control over it since February, barring safe passage to vessels affiliated with Israel and the United States after joint strikes on Iranian territory.

Adding to regional tensions, the UK Maritime Trade Operations reported an incident on Thursday evening where an outbound oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Limah, Oman, within the strait.