Iran says four tankers struck mines in Strait of Hormuz
The Revolutionary Guards say the ships used an 'unauthorised' southern route. The US says the main corridors have been cleared of mines. There is no independent confirmation of the tanker strikes so far.
Photo: Ali khodabakhsh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Al Jazeera English · youtube.com
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that three "violating" oil tankers had exploded and caught fire over the previous 24 hours after hitting mines on the "unauthorised southern route" of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's army later said a fourth tanker caught fire east of the strait after striking mines and was unable to move. The IRGC said the ships had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings. It was not immediately clear when the incidents happened or which flags the tankers were flying.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday that mines in the "primary transit routes" had been removed. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi rejected that and demanded independent evidence. Britain's UKMTO maritime agency reported only that a dhow sank nine nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, with its crew safely evacuated. The agency did not link it to the tankers.
Since the war began on Feb. 28, Iran has severely restricted shipping through the strait, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil consumption. The US is blockading Iranian ports. Tehran regards the southern corridor near Oman's coast as unauthorised. The IRGC also claimed to have captured a US MQM-170 drone, a claim that has not been independently verified.