Two oil tankers struck mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy confirmed the incident in a statement.
The vessels were attempting to navigate the waterway undetected. Both ships had their radar and positioning systems switched off.
One of the affected vessels was a supertanker. Flames erupting from the burning ship lit up the southern shores of the strait.
The IRGC Navy issued a warning after the incident. Officials told shipowners and commercial shipping companies not to transit the maritime corridor without prior coordination with its traffic control centre.
The announcement followed separate reports of explosions heard in the southern Iranian port city of Jask, located east of the strait. The official IRNA news agency cited local sources confirming that no impacts occurred in Jask or elsewhere in Hormozgan province.
Earlier on Thursday, IRNA reported an enemy strike targeting the southern city of Sirik. The IRGC subsequently claimed it destroyed an American early-warning radar facility in Bahrain in retaliation for an attack against a telecommunications tower in Sirik.
The United States Central Command stated that its forces successfully intercepted two Iranian attack drones heading in the direction of Bahrain. Military officials reported zero injuries and no property damage from the drone interception.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, functioning as a transit route for international petroleum shipments.
