Three trespassing tankers erupt in ‘massive fires’ after hitting mines in Hormuz: IRGC Navy

Three oil tankers have gone up in blaze after striking naval mines while navigating unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy says.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the IRGC Navy said the vessels had been rocked by explosions resulting in “massive fires” since the early hours of the day after switching off their navigation and identification systems and attempting to transit unauthorized routes through the strategic waterway.

The vessels were left off the southern coast of the strait and stayed ablaze, according to the statement.

The statement described the fires as so intense that fishermen in the eastern part of the waterway witnessed the resulting “brightly lit night.”

The IRGC Navy said the Islamic Republic’s regulations governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz had been repeatedly communicated to all vessels through radio stations and official notices.

It warned that vessels disregarding the regulations and cooperating with the US military to use unauthorized routes through the strait would face similar incidents.

Addressing claims made by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the American troops deployed to West Asia, the IRGC Navy said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz differed from the account presented by the military command on social media.

"The reality of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is what you are seeing, not what the terrorist CENTCOM commander claims on social media using archival footage," the statement said.

Iran closed the chokepoint following the launch of the latest round of unprovoked American-Israeli aggression against the country on February 28.

The Islamic Republic and the United States agreed on a 60-day reopening period as part of a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding in June.

Iran established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) to implement the understanding, but American violations forced the country to reestablish the closure.

Tehran has conditioned reopening of the waterway on realization of seven prerequisites.

The Islamic Republic has previously identified cessation of aggression on all fronts, elimination of an illegal naval blockade imposed by the United States against the country, removal of illegal sanctions, and unfreezing of Iranian assets as some of the main conditions to be met by Washington.