The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy says three oil tankers have exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after violating Iran’s regulations on maritime traffic.

In a statement on Sunday, the IRGC Navy said the incidents occurred starting in the early hours of the day along an unauthorized shipping route, with thick smoke from the burning vessels spreading across the strait.

The statement said the tankers had switched off their navigation and identification systems and were burning due to the “mischief” of the US “smuggling and aggressor army.”

It warned that vessels defying Iranian regulations would face similar consequences.

The statement came less than a day after two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz via unauthorized routes struck naval mines and caught fire, after committing multiple violations of Iranian regulations.

In a statement late on Saturday, the IRGC Navy said the vessels — one located east of the strategic waterway and the other within the Strait itself — had deactivated their navigation and positioning systems in a bid to slip through an unauthorized southern corridor.

Iranian forces have maintained full control over transit through the Strait — through which roughly one-fifth of global oil normally passes — requiring prior authorization and confining safe passage exclusively to designated northern corridors.

Southern routes near Omani waters have been declared unauthorized and mined, with repeated IRGC Navy statements confirming that vessels attempting to use them after disabling AIS systems have struck mines, exploded, and caught fire.

Two offending oil tankers strike mines, engulfed in flames in Strait of Hormuz: IRGC Navy

The offending tankers had repeatedly ignored established rules governing safe passage through the waterway under Iran’s sovereign control.

IRGC Navy units have repeatedly intercepted or neutralized ships attempting covert transit, including those linked to the Israeli regime or operating under US encouragement.

IRGC commanders have stressed that empty American promises of escort and protection have repeatedly proven hollow, as vessels trusting such assurances have been halted or destroyed.

The force has underscored that only ships complying with Iranian rules can transit safely, while those serving the interests of the aggressors face decisive consequences.

Iran imposed the restrictions on the strait in response to the latest round of US-Israeli aggression, which began on February 28.