Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say 2 supertankers hit naval mines in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Friday that two supertankers struck naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz, triggering explosions and fires that disabled their engines and forced their crews to abandon the vessels.

In a statement carried by state news agency IRNA, the IRGC Navy said the two tankers attempted to navigate through an “unauthorized route” in the southern part of the strategic waterway.

The IRGC said explosions and intense fires in the vessels’ engine rooms left both tankers disabled and stranded.

According to the statement, the vessels were carrying a combined cargo of more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil.

The tankers were subsequently abandoned by their crews near the southern coast of the Strait of Hormuz, it added.

The strait is a strategic waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and a major route for global oil shipments.

Iran has repeatedly warned vessels against navigating through routes it considers unauthorized, amid an ongoing confrontation with the US over maritime security and control of the waterway. The US and Israel launched a war on the Islamic Republic in late February and the conflict has yet to be settled despite a ceasefire and memorandum to agree on a final peace deal.

The US and Israel are said to have planned renewed attacks after the midterm elections on Nov. 3.