Iranian Guard Says It Stopped Two Tankers Near the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Friday, Oct. 30, that it stopped two commercial tankers in the southern Strait of Hormuz, accusing them of using routes it described as unauthorized.

In a separate statement, the IRGC Navy said a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil had struck a naval mine near the strait's entrance and was burning. The Guard called it the third tanker to suffer an explosion and fire Friday.

Neither statement named the vessels or supplied their flag states or crew details. The halted tankers were in the strait's southern section, while the supertanker was near its entrance.

Earlier, Iranian forces claimed four tankers were damaged near Hormuz: the IRGC said three caught fire after mine strikes on a route south of the strait, while Iran's army reported a fourth tanker fire east of it. The IRGC has also challenged U.S. Central Command's claim that American forces cleared mines from the main transit routes.