The Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says a super oil tanker has exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement on Tuesday, the public relations office of the Navy said the tanker was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and had switched off all its radar and navigation systems while attempting to leave through an unauthorized southern passage, disregarding warnings from Iran.

“The supertanker exploded after striking a naval mine,” the statement said.

The IRGC Navy warned that vessel owners and crews operating in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman would be held responsible for using unauthorized routes, adding that any activity disregarding the security of the strait would be met with a firm response.

Iran will maintain control of Strait of Hormuz

Separately, Major General Mostafa Izadi, deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC, said Tuesday that the naval and aerospace units maintained operational and intelligence control over the Strait of Hormuz.

“This situation will continue for as long as the Islamic Republic of Iran decides,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IRGC said its navy forces reported that two oil tankers were set ablaze and stopped after mines laid by the naval forces exploded along an unauthorized passage south of the strait.

Iran’s Navy spots burning violating tanker in prohibited Hormuz corridor

The Iranian Army’s Navy identified a violating tanker that caught fire in a prohibited zone within the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz.

Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran on February 28, Tehran has imposed strict regulations on the Strait, requiring all vessels to coordinate with Iranian naval authorities and obtain permission before transiting.

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its complete control, with the IRGC Navy and the Army Navy jointly managing security in the region.

Ships that attempt to evade detection by silencing their systems or that venture into unauthorized corridors do so at their own peril and expose themselves to the defensive measures in place to protect the Islamic Republic’s sovereign rights and the security of the Persian Gulf.

The IRGC Navy has consistently warned commercial operators and shipping companies against heeding false assurances from external actors and against endangering crews by flouting established rules.