Super tanker explodes after hitting sea mine in Hormuz: IRGC

A super tanker carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil was engulfed in flames after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz while attempting to transit through an unauthorized route with its tracking systems switched off.

A massive explosion and fierce fire engulfed a super tanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil after the vessel struck a sea mine in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced.

According to the IRGC Navy, the tanker was attempting to transit through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz when it struck the mine, triggering a catastrophic explosion and intense blaze.

In its statement, the IRGC Navy revealed that the tanker had deliberately switched off all of its positioning and radar systems in an attempt to deceive Iranian maritime authorities.

The vessel was attempting to cross the strait with the support and protection of the "smuggler and terrorist army” of the United States.

The statement underscored that the tanker's decision to disable its tracking equipment and rely on US military escort rather than coordinating with Iranian authorities was the direct cause of the disaster.

The IRGC Navy issued a warning to all maritime traffic, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed in accordance with Iran's sovereign decisions and maritime regulations.

"The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the consequence of defying Iranian regulations in the Strait of Hormuz is burning in the fire of trust in the terrorist US army," the IRGC Navy stated, in a rebuke to vessels attempting to rely on US military protection rather than adhering to Iranian maritime protocols.

The incident comes against the backdrop of the ongoing US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, which began on February 28.

Following the US military's violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in July, the Iranian Armed Forces launched devastating retaliatory strikes against strategic American positions across West Asia and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to unauthorized traffic.

The IRGC has repeatedly warned that all vessels must coordinate with Iranian authorities before transiting the strait and that unauthorized passage, particularly under US military escort, will be treated as a hostile act with severe consequences.