Tehran says vessels ignored warnings and used unauthorised southern routes, challenging US assertions that key shipping lanes have been cleared.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed that four oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The incidents, reported over a 24-hour period, involved vessels that Tehran said had switched off their radar and navigation systems and disregarded warnings from Iranian forces.
In a statement, the IRGC Navy said three “violating” oil tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting mines on an unauthorised southern route through the strategic waterway. The vessels were later described as abandoned off the southern coasts of the strait. Iran’s army separately reported that a fourth tanker was damaged and set ablaze after striking mines while operating in a restricted area east of the strait. One of the tankers was said to have been carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil.
IRGC Warns of Sea Mines as Hormuz Tensions Escalate:
The IRGC emphasised that the unauthorised southern route remains mined and that vessel owners and crews bear full responsibility for using it. Officials urged shipping companies to ignore what they called “delusions” from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding the safety of the waterway. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi challenged CENTCOM to provide independent evidence of any mine-clearing operations rather than relying on public statements.
The claims came a day after the US military said it had cleared primary transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz of sea mines. CENTCOM has maintained that the main shipping lanes remain free of mines and that commercial vessels continue to use them safely. Independent verification of the IRGC’s specific mine-strike claims has not been immediately available.
British maritime authorities provided some corroboration of damage in the area. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported receiving information about a vessel on fire approximately 25 nautical miles (46km) northeast of Khasab, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz. In a separate report, UKMTO noted an incident involving a crude oil tanker struck by an unknown projectile during an outbound transit, with a fire on board but the crew reported safe and no environmental impact noted.
Hormuz Tensions Threaten Global Oil Shipping Routes:
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade under normal conditions. Since the escalation of regional conflict earlier in 2026, Iran has imposed strict controls on traffic through the waterway, restricting or prohibiting passage for vessels linked to the United States or Israel and designating certain routes as unauthorised. Iranian forces have repeatedly warned commercial shipping against using southern corridors near the Omani coast without coordination.
These latest claims fit a pattern of IRGC statements attributing vessel incidents to naval mines along contested routes. The reports underscore the ongoing contest for control of the vital shipping lane, with Tehran asserting dominance over maritime traffic and the United States working to keep primary routes open for global energy supplies. No immediate details were provided on the flags, ownership or crew status of the tankers named in the Iranian statements.