Tuesday, 10/11/2026   
   Beirut 17:44

IRGC Navy: Two Oil Tankers Set Ablaze After Attempting to Cross Unauthorized Hormuz Route

IRGC Navy's Public Relations Office announces on Saturday a second supertanker had exploded after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz (October 17, 2026).

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Tuesday that two oil tankers were halted after suffering major explosions and fires while attempting to navigate an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that vessels cooperating with the US military would face similar consequences.

In a statement, the IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office said the first vessel, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), struck a sea mine, triggering an explosion and fire.

The second tanker, which was being escorted by US Navy fighter jets, also caught fire while attempting to secretly transit the unauthorized route, the statement added.

According to the IRGC Navy, both vessels had switched off their navigation and identification systems before attempting to cross the route.

The statement said the tankers subsequently struck the Strait of Hormuz’s “firewall” before being abandoned along the waterway’s southern shore, still engulfed in flames.

The IRGC Navy warned that the route was unsafe and issued a direct warning to vessels seeking to use it with US military support.

“All vessels cooperating with the terrorist and aggressive US military that attempt to transit this unauthorized route within the Strait of Hormuz will meet the same fate,” the statement said.

Strait of Hormuz Iran US
Iran warned that in no way will we allow America, as a foreign power outside the region, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz (Gallo Images).

The IRGC Navy reiterated that vessels must refrain from using the route, warning of the consequences of defying its restrictions.

Source: Al-Manar English Website