Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has said two oil supertankers carrying more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil were damaged in explosions after allegedly taking an unauthorised route through the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessels’ engine rooms caught fire following the explosions on Friday, forcing them to stop, while their crews abandoned ship, the IRGC Navy said in a statement published by its official news outlet, Sepah News.
The incident has heightened tensions around the strategic waterway, a major route for global oil shipments, following reports of attacks on commercial vessels transiting the area earlier in the week.
Iranian authorities said the tankers had struck naval mines while attempting to navigate a route south of the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran considers unauthorised. The claims had not been independently verified in the available reports.
Earlier on Friday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a source close to the IRGC Navy as saying that maritime traffic involving vessels accused of violating Iran’s restrictions had been completely halted.
The source said Iran had destroyed navigational aid systems used by such vessels and targeted four ships described as offending tankers on Thursday.
“In case oil smuggling in the strait is resumed, much more crushing actions will be taken against violating vessels and technical aid systems,” the source said.
Iran tightened its restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz in February, barring safe passage for vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following joint strikes by the two countries on Iranian territory.
The latest reported explosions came amid growing concerns over the safety of commercial shipping in the waterway, through which a substantial share of the world’s oil supplies passes.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report of a separate incident on Thursday evening, involving an outbound oil tanker about seven nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman.
According to the UKMTO, the tanker reported being struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The incidents underscore the growing risks facing international shipping in the region, with further disruption potentially affecting crude oil deliveries and energy markets.
The circumstances surrounding Friday’s explosions, including the identities of the vessels and the extent of the damage, were not independently established in the available reports.
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