Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Saturday that a supertanker struck a naval mine and caught fire while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media reports.
The IRGC said in a written statement that the vessel, a supertanker with a capacity of approximately 2 million barrels of oil, had disabled its navigation systems and attempted to exit the strait via an alternative southern route. The guards said the tanker violated transit rules in the waterway. The vessel struck the mine during this passage, and the impact caused a severe explosion, according to the statement.
The IRGC did not specify the name or flag of the tanker-ship in its announcement.
On Wednesday, an adviser to the IRGC commander told the semi-official Fars news agency that transit routes in Hormuz considered illegal by Iran would be closed soon. The Revolutionary Guards have previously denied that crude oil flows through the strait are recovering due to assistance from the U.S. Navy.
Despite increased oil flows in September, Iranian attacks on tankers and logistical restrictions have continued to affect maritime petroleum transit in the region.