Iran’s naval forces destroyed four oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday. The burning vessels stayed ablaze after explosions struck the area.
State news agency IRNA carried the military announcement. Authorities detained two additional vessels for violating maritime shipping restrictions in the key waterway.
During the same operations, IRGC air defence units shot down a US-made MQ-9 drone over the strait at 4.30 am local time.
Military officials described the unmanned aircraft as the 56th such machine brought down by their forces. The combined naval and aerospace operations inflicted heavy blows on the enemy, the statement said.
Iranian forces are prepared to deliver a final blow to Israel and the United States, the military warned. Qatar is mediating between Washington and Tehran to ease ongoing tensions.
Diplomatic channels stay active despite the maritime escalation. Iranian officials stated they were still exchanging messages with the United States through mediators.
Reopening the strategic waterway depends entirely on Washington ending its naval blockade, Tehran stated. The US and Israel previously launched military attacks against Iran on February 28.
Those strikes prompted Iranian retaliation against regional US assets and Israel before a ceasefire took effect in April. Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation on June 18.
Implementation of that agreement stalled due to ongoing disagreements over security arrangements.
