Iran's Revolutionary Guard: "Three oil tankers hit a mine and caught fire in Hormuz"

(Cairo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Sang-hoon = Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on the 29th (local time) that three oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz collided with mines and caught fire.

In a statement, the Revolutionary Guard claimed, "Over the past 24 hours, three oil tankers in violation of regulations attempted to pass through the unapproved southern route in the Strait of Hormuz and hit a mine, which exploded and caught fire."

The Revolutionary Guard went on to emphasize, “These ships had all radar and navigation systems turned off and ignored the warnings of the Revolutionary Guard Navy.”

The timing of the mine collision or the name of the country where the tanker was shipped were not immediately confirmed.

Since the outbreak of war on February 28, Iran has strictly restricted ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and gas consumption passes.

In response, the United States implemented a blockade of Iranian ports.

Additionally, Iran has claimed that the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, is encouraging ships to move using the southern sea route near Oman. Iran considers this route an illegal route and sometimes attacks ships passing through it.

The Revolutionary Guard Navy warned, “The unapproved route in the Strait of Hormuz is buried with mines, and ship owners and crews are responsible for passing this route, so they should not pay attention to the delusions of the U.S. Central Command posted on social media.”

Earlier on this day, the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) announced that it had received a report of a ship fire in the Strait of Hormuz, but did not provide further details on the cause of the fire or whether any casualties occurred.