Iran says oil tanker explodes after hitting naval mines in Hormuz Strait

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Monday that a super oil tanker, which was trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz via the “forbidden” route to the south of the strait, exploded after hitting naval mines.

Warnings about the dangers of this route had been issued previously, according to the statement published on the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News. In the statement, the IRGC Navy said that the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked and remains under Iran’s “smart control”. Following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran restricted passage through the strategic waterway, while U.S. forces imposed a naval blockade targeting vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports.