The Revolutionary Guard announces the explosion of 3 oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday

- The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced, on Friday, that two oil tankers were stopped after they were involved in an “accident” in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz, and a third giant tanker caught fire after it collided with a sea mine. The Public Relations Department of the Revolutionary Guards Naval Forces said in a statement: “Two oil tankers were stopped in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz, after they attempted to cross unauthorized shipping lanes. One of them was found in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the strait,” according to what was reported by the official Iranian “IRNA” news agency.

IRNA quoted the Revolutionary Guards statement as saying: “The two tankers were involved in an accident that led to their stopping after they turned off all navigation and positioning systems, in an attempt to leave the unauthorized corridor with the support of American forces.” The Revolutionary Guards claimed that “despite sending several radio warnings, the two tankers ignored the instructions and entered a dangerous area, resulting in an accident that led to them stopping off the southern coast of the strait.”, according to the “IRNA” agency. The statement did not clarify the nature of the accident that occurred between the two tankers.

Later on Friday, the Revolutionary Guard reported that an explosion occurred in a giant oil tanker after it collided with a sea mine while crossing the Strait of Hormuz without obtaining the necessary permits. He explained that this is the third tanker that was exposed to explosion and ignition on Friday, “as a result of it crossing the strait in an unauthorized manner,” according to the Iranian agency.

The Revolutionary Guard added, "The giant tanker, with an estimated capacity of more than two million barrels of oil, was abandoned and is still engulfed in flames at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz." Iran has recently intensified its attacks on ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, in confirmation of what it declares that it controls navigation traffic in the strategic waterway, amid the American blockade on its ports. This coincided with the arrival of a Qatari delegation to the capital, Tehran, on Friday, to hold talks and consultations with Iranian officials regarding developments in the situation in the region and mediation efforts to negotiate with America, according to what IRNA reported.