Iran’s IRGC Claims Supertanker Exploded After Hitting Naval Mines in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed that a supertanker attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorised route suffered a massive explosion after striking naval mines.

In a statement published on the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the navy said on Saturday that the vessel was carrying crude oil with its navigation and GPS systems switched off when the blast occurred, triggering a fire.

The IRGC described the tanker as a “violating” vessel and said it had attempted to use a route designated as high-risk. It warned that similar consequences awaited oil tankers seeking to disregard Iran’s regulations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, on Friday, the IRGC Navy said its forces had struck a “giant” liquefied petroleum gas carrier identified as NV Sunshine as it attempted to cross the strait through what Iran described as an “illegal” route south of the waterway.

According to the navy, the vessel’s engine room and propulsion system caught fire in the incident.

The IRGC blamed the US military for the incidents and the rising maritime tensions in the region. It also warned that punitive action against vessels using unauthorised routes would no longer be confined to the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that any vessel crossing through such routes would be “punished.”

Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that Tehran would continue negotiations with Washington despite previous attacks during periods of dialogue between the two countries.

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, on Thursday, Pezeshkian said Iran would not abandon diplomatic engagement.

“We are negotiating. However, whenever we engage in dialogue with the United States, they attack again. Nevertheless, we will not abandon the negotiating table and dialogue,” he said, according to a statement issued by his office.

Pezeshkian said Iran had submitted proposals and that the United States had responded with its own suggestions. Tehran had subsequently revised those proposals, he added, with the aim of finalising an agreement through existing mediators.

“We have made our revisions to these proposals, and once finalised, the plan is to sit down and conclude them through the existing mediators,” the Iranian President said.

Iran tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, barring safe passage for vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following joint strikes by the two countries on Iranian territory.