Iranian Navy: Oil Tanker Catches Fire After Hitting Mine in Strait of Hormuz

The Public Relations Department of the Iranian Army's Navy announced that an oil tanker suffered an accident and caught fire after colliding with a naval mine in the eastern area of the Strait of Hormuz, which it described as prohibited and unsafe.

In a statement, the Navy said the tanker had shut down its navigation and identification systems, warning tanker owners against attempting to cross prohibited areas without coordination or disabling identification systems to bypass restrictions on vessel movement.

The statement added that the consequences of navigating without coordination in high-risk areas may include collisions with naval mines and outbreaks of fires.

Earlier, the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Navy announced that 11 "non-compliant" oil tankers had burned in the Strait of Hormuz since October 25 last year, noting that some of these tankers sank into the depths of the sea.

The command stated that these incidents occurred during the past nine days, since October 25, the day that saw the visit of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper to the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran described as a show-of-force visit.