Iran Guards say three tankers hit mines crossing Strait of Hormuz

• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said three tankers were hit by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, after they used routes Tehran calls illegal.
• The Guards said two tankers were set ablaze, and a third, carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil, exploded after its radar and navigation systems were turned off.
• The attacks add to rising tension over the strategic waterway, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil, as Iran and the US try to control ship traffic.

TEHRAN - Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Oct 20 that their naval mines halted three tankers attempting to travel the Strait of Hormuz via routes considered illegal by Tehran.

“Two violating oil tankers were set ablaze and halted due to the explosion of mines planted by the brave sailors of the IRGC Navy at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz,” the Guards said, in a statement on their official Sepah News website.

The Guards later said in a statement carried by state TV that a third oil tanker “exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz”.

The statement added that the tanker “carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil, had deactivated all of its radar and navigation systems”.

Iranian forces have, since the outbreak of the Middle East war, repeatedly targeted ships attempting to pass through Hormuz via a southern route close to the Omani coast.

The conflict began on Feb 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, along with senior military commanders.

Iran has attempted to blockade the strategic waterway, demanding all ships seek its authorisation to cross. In peacetime, the Hormuz strait carried around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

In retaliation, the US has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports and ships.

On Oct 20, Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces said the country is using cheap weapons to attack expensive US equipment.

“Should the enemy commit any further errors, we will neutralise the impact of their expensive, advanced equipment using a wide array of low-cost yet effective equipment.”

Attacks on vessels attempting to cross the waterway have increased in recent days, as Washington seeks to escort more ships through the strait while Tehran seeks to maintain control over their passage.

The Guards have in recent days said several tankers were hit by mines in the strategic waterway. AFP