The Revolutionary Guard announces that 11 oil tankers burned in the Strait of Hormuz within 9 days

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced, on Monday, that 11 oil tankers had been “burned” in the Strait of Hormuz, since the visit of the Commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), Brad Cooper, to the Strait on October 25. The Revolutionary Guards Naval Forces Command stated in a statement that, during the period extending from October 25 (the date of the visit of US Central Command Commander Brad Cooper to the Strait of Hormuz) until the present time - that is, over a period of 9 days - fires broke out in 11 oil tankers that it claimed were “in violation” inside the Strait of Hormuz, according to what was reported by the semi-official Iranian “Mehr” News Agency.

The Revolutionary Guard Navy explained that some of those oil tankers sank to the bottom of the sea. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei renewed his country’s demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore security in the region, including ending the American blockade imposed on Iran.

Baghaei said in statements reported by Mehr Agency, “Restoring security in the region depends on the implementation of Tehran’s demands, and that opening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible before ending the blockade, and that continuing the diplomatic path depends on the American decision.” This came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that consultations with Qatari mediators regarding the “two-day plan” related to opening the Strait of Hormuz are still continuing, indicating that Tehran has not yet reached a final result, and that this depends on the answers provided by the other party to Iranian questions. The Iranian armed forces have recently escalated their attacks on commercial ships and oil and gas tankers, amid the US naval blockade imposed on Iran's ports.