The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says its naval forces have struck a giant liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier in the Strait of Hormuz attempting to pass through an "illegal route" south of the strategic waterway.

In a statement on Friday, the IRGC warned that action against vessels using unauthorized routes would no longer be confined to the Strait of Hormuz, saying violators would be pursued and punished across the entire region.

“From now on, action against offending vessels will not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz and any vessel passing through an unauthorized passage will be pursued throughout the region, and its punishment will be certain,” it said.

The IRGC added that the vessel, identified as the NV Sunshine and belonging to NatWit, was targeted earlier in the day while attempting to transit through an “illegal route” south of the strait.

The strike caused extensive fire in the ship’s engine room and propulsion system, added the statement.

It once again reiterated that the IRGC naval forces are in full control of the Strait of Hormuz in line with the order of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the demand of the Iranian people for sovereignty over the strategic waterway.

It emphasized that the IRGC Navy would not allow the presence of “invading armies” in the region and would decisively counter the enemy’s mischievous acts aimed at disrupting Iran’s management of the strait.

The statement held the "aggressive US army" directly responsible for such incidents and the escalation of tensions in regional maritime transport, saying Washington is interfering with and deceiving shipping and insurance companies and paying large bribes to cause such incidents.

It emphasized that with the continuation of US interventions, such “bitter” incidents will become increasingly frequent.

The IRGC also warned that companies deceived by the “American aggressors” would face sanctions and that necessary punitive measures would be imposed on vessels belonging to violating companies.

Iranian armed forces have been in full control of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli aggression against the country on February 28.

Commercial traffic through the strait has fallen sharply, with vessel movements dropping to single digits amid the ongoing war on Iran and the restrictions on shipping through the strategic waterway.

Tehran has said it will not reopen the waterway until the United States meets its demands and takes steps to restore Iran's trust.

Ship transits through Hormuz Strait at lowest in over two months, shipping data shows

The number of ships transiting the ‌Strait of Hormuz has fallen to the lowest in more than two months, new shipping data shows.

The data from analytics firm Kpler showed that the number of ships transiting the ‌Strait of Hormuz has fallen to the lowest in more than two months.

According to the data, on Tuesday only seven commodity vessels passed through the strategic waterway.