The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier traveling along an unauthorized route suffered a massive explosion after striking a naval mine east of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a Friday statement, the IRGC Navy noted that the carrier ignored repeated warnings before the explosion.
It added that the vessel failed to “learn from the fate of previously destroyed oil tankers” and chose to rely on the support of US fighter jets to exit the waterway.
It said the vessel failed to realize that naval mines do not coordinate with "the US army of smugglers and aggressors when hunting their targets."
The IRGC Navy further stated that the Strait of Hormuz is being managed with the supervision of Iranian forces, adding that any vessel attempting to violate Iranian sovereignty over the strait and ignore warnings issued by the IRGC Navy’s Strait of Hormuz traffic control center by entering unauthorized routes would "meet the same fate as previous vessels."
On Thursday, two other oil tankers violating the regulations also caught fire while attempting to take the illegal route and exit the strait with their radar systems switched off. The offending vessels struck naval mines despite repeated warnings.
The IRGC has repeatedly stated that the unauthorized route near Omani waters is unsafe and that vessels risk striking naval mines while passing through it. The route has been encouraged by the US, which has claimed that it is safe.
Iran imposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, following the US-Israeli attacks on the country. Since then, the strategic waterway has been managed under the control of Iranian naval forces.
Tehran has made clear that the restrictions will remain in place until its demands, including the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports, are met.
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