Strait of Hormuz: 3 oil tankers hit mines; Iran claims

Tehran: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has claimed that three oil tankers passing through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz hit mines and caught fire, after which they were abandoned near the coast.

According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, the Revolutionary Guards Navy said in a statement on Thursday that the ships were allegedly trying to pass through an unauthorized route.

Iranian authorities allege that the three ships had turned off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from the Iranian Navy and tried to pass through the southern route.

The Revolutionary Guards said that there are mines in the route and that the owners and crews of ships trying to pass through there will be held responsible for the consequences.

The Iranian Navy also instructed ship operators not to rely on statements issued on social media by the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The statement warned that any violation of Iranian rules or any provocative action regarding the Strait of Hormuz would be met with a decisive response.

On the other hand, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British maritime surveillance agency, also reported a fire on a ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

The captain of another vessel spotted a vessel on fire about 9 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, the agency said. Initial reports did not specify the cause of the fire or the condition of the crew.

However, the UKMTO report did not confirm that the vessel on fire was one of the three oil tankers mentioned by the Iranian navy. Independent confirmation of the incidents involving the three vessels was not immediately available.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Given the importance of the passage for transporting crude oil and natural gas to global markets, any security incident here could have repercussions for international energy markets and commercial shipping.