Iran’s Navy says a tanker caught fire and was immobilized after hitting a naval mine while sailing in a prohibited area east of the Strait of Hormuz despite previous warnings.
In a statement on Saturday, the Navy said the vessel had switched off its tracking and identification systems while transiting the unsafe zone.
It warned that any tanker entering the prohibited area would face the same fate, criticizing owners for risking their assets based on the “nonsense” of US President Donald Trump.
The statement came hours after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy said two oil tankers attempting a covert, unauthorized transit through the southern Strait of Hormuz exploded and caught fire after hitting Iranian naval mines.
The IRGC Navy Public Relations Office said late on Friday that the vessels were attempting to secretly navigate a prohibited route in the strategic waterway. To evade detection, the tankers had deliberately disabled their radar and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS).
