Iran’s IRGC says supertanker exploded after hitting mine in Hormuz Strait

Tehran: The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that a “violating” supertanker that sought to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route within the preceding hours suffered a “huge” explosion after hitting a naval mine.

The explosion resulted in a “massive” fire on the oil tanker, which had turned off its GPS and radar systems, the navy said in a statement published by the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News.

Carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil, the vessel sought “unauthorised” passage through the strait with the US. military’s support, Sepah News reported, adding that the waterway has been closed, Xinhua News Agency reported.

On Wednesday, the IRGC Navy said a “violating” container ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorised and high-risk” route sank earlier in the day after hitting a naval mine south of the waterway.

Speaking to state-run IRIB TV on Tuesday, IRGC Navy Commander Ali Azmaei said his troops are controlling the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz “round the clock,” while the Gulf of Oman is under the control and supervision of Iran’s navy.

He warned that those violating shipping rules under US “deception or provocation” would face a decisive response from Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday reiterated that his country does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, dismissing anti-Tehran propaganda claiming otherwise as a “lie.”

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, according to a statement on his office’s website.

“Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, and we consider the destructive propaganda against our country as a lie,” he said, citing the clear positions of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei regarding the prohibition of developing nuclear weapons.

–IANS