IRGC says supertanker carrying two million barrels of crude on fire after striking mine in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that an oil supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil caught fire after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest escalation in the waterway at the heart of the Middle East war.

“A supertanker in violation of regulations, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and attempting to pass illegally through the Strait of Hormuz, struck a mine, triggering an explosion and a fierce fire,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement reported by the AFP news agency and Al Jazeera.

The IRGC said the vessel had been attempting an “unauthorised” crossing and alleged the tanker had deactivated all of its tracking and positioning systems, claiming it “attempted to cross the strait with US support”. The Guards also posted video of a vessel engulfed in flames during the night.

These claims have not been independently verified. The IRGC statement did not name the vessel, identify its flag or ownership, or specify the exact location of the incident. No independent source has confirmed that the tanker struck a mine, that it was sailing without positioning systems, or that it had US support.

Tehran seized control of the strait after the start of the war in late February, choking off a waterway that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption, according to AFP reporting cited by Vanguard. Since taking control, Iran has demanded that all ships seek its authorisation before transiting. In response, Washington has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian oil exports.

The Guards’ naval commander, Admiral Ali Ozmai, warned this week that any vessel deactivating its navigation systems would be considered “hostile”.

The claim comes a day after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported two separate tanker incidents off the Saudi coast. UKMTO said a tanker was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat 78 nautical miles (145km) northeast of Jubail on Friday at 19:22 GMT, damaging the vessel’s aft port quarter. A second tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile 68 nautical miles (about 125km) northeast of Al Jubail the same day. All crew members were reported safe in both incidents, with no environmental impact observed, UKMTO said, and all crew were evacuated from the second vessel.

Flanked by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, the Hormuz strait is about 30 kilometres (20 miles) wide at its narrowest point.

Al Jazeera’s Tehran correspondent noted that Iran continues to insist the strait will remain closed as long as Tehran’s conditions are not met, even as diplomatic engagement with Muscat over reopening the waterway has been under way.

Fact-check: IRGC statement wording and US-support/deactivated-tracking claims — Vanguard (AFP wire) and Al Jazeera liveblog, both reporting as IRGC claims; vessel unnamed, location unspecified — confirmed by both sources; UKMTO Friday incidents (78NM RPG attack, 68NM unknown projectile, crew safe, no environmental impact) — Al Jazeera liveblog citing UKMTO; strait context (one-fifth of global oil, 30km at narrowest, seized late February, US counter-blockade, Ozmai warning) — Vanguard/AFP. IRGC mine claim itself unverified — stated prominently as IRGC claim.