Two supertankers carrying more than four million barrels of oil combined were forced to halt in the Strait of Hormuz after two massive explosions rocked the vessels while they were attempting to transit an unauthorized southern route, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on Thursday.
In a statement issued by its Public Relations Office, the IRGC Navy said the incident occurred last night despite repeated warnings from the Maritime Traffic Control Center against using the route.
The statement said the two vessels were carrying a combined cargo of more than four million barrels of oil, adding that the explosions forced both tankers to stop.
The IRGC Navy warned that any vessel disabling its navigation systems in the Persian Gulf or Strait of Hormuz and cooperating with the US military to navigate the unauthorized southern route would face the same fate.
“Any vessel that disables its navigation systems in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and cooperates with the US military in transiting the unauthorized southern route, will face the same fate,” the statement read.
Source: Al-Manar English Website