Iran says US pushed 2 supertankers to use illegal route before they were hit in Strait of Hormuz

Iran said Tuesday that the US military encouraged two supertankers to use an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz before the vessels were hit and disabled.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said in a statement that US forces had urged several vessels to attempt passage through what it described as an illegal route in the strategic waterway.

According to the statement, the two supertankers switched off their navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings from the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Security Control Center, putting other maritime traffic at risk.

The IRGC Navy said the vessels then attempted to use a mined route before being hit and put out of service. It did not say what struck the tankers or explicitly claim responsibility for the incident.

The force warned that cooperation with the US and attempts to use the mined route would cause further damage, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and deepen the global energy crisis.

Earlier Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Defense Ministry said two Emirati tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while sailing through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.

The ministry said one Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa was killed and eight others were injured, including four seriously. It added that fires broke out aboard both vessels but were later brought under control.