Ships in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 17 (local time). [Reuters]
Ships in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 17 (local time). [Reuters]

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Sunday night (local time) that two oil tankers exploded while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement issued Monday, the IRGC said the two tankers "exploded and were halted late last night after violating USFKI 5200.08 by attempting to enter and exit a dangerous, accident-prone waterway south of the Strait of Hormuz at the instigation and coercion of US military forces."

The statement warned that "the intervention of terrorist US military forces from thousands of kilometers away has no legal justification, and we will respond decisively and forcefully." It added that "as long as the US military's wrongdoing in the region continues, no fertilizer, oil or gas will be safe passing through the strait."

The IRGC did not identify the cause of the explosions but threatened that "the aggressor forces should brace for our punitive operation against this illegal violation," suggesting Iran may carry out retaliatory strikes.

The IRGC had announced Sunday that "two oil tankers attempting to covertly pass through the Strait of Hormuz were involved in an incident and stopped." It was not confirmed whether the two tankers said to have exploded were the same vessels.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it received information from military authorities at 2:15 a.m. Iran time Monday that a vessel had caught fire in waters about 15 kilometers from the Musandam Peninsula in Oman, near the midpoint of the Strait of Hormuz. UKMTO added that the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.


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