Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy says oil tanker struck mine in Strait of Hormuz

An oil tanker struck a mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, triggering an explosion in its engine room, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Sunday.

The IRGC Navy said in a statement that the supertanker, capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of oil, was attempting to transit the strategic waterway with its navigation system switched off.

The oil tanker is the third vessel to strike naval mines along the prohibited route in the Strait of Hormuz since Saturday, it added.

The statement did not identify the vessel or specify its nationality or flag.

The IRGC Navy renewed its warning that vessels switching off their navigation systems while passing through the waterway would be classified as “hostile vessels.”

The announcement came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in late August that international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz had been reopened following the removal of Iranian naval mines by US forces.

Read: Iran says US response to its proposal to reopen Hormuz was 'insufficient'

Iran announced on July 12 that it had again closed the strait following the resumption of US attacks on July 8.

Tehran has threatened to target vessels using routes other than those designated by Iranian authorities or attempting to cross the waterway without permission.

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington later imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The US and Iran subsequently signed a memorandum of understanding in June concerning freedom of navigation in the strait, but implementation stalled over disagreements related to security in the strategic waterway.

Iran accuses CENTCOM chief of running oil smuggling operations in Strait of Hormuz

A senior Iranian security official accused the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of orchestrating oil-smuggling operations in the Strait of Hormuz with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates military.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, made the claim in an interview over the weekend with Iranian state-run Press TV.

Rezaei said Admiral Brad Cooper was directing the operations using the UAE military, with five or six small boats transferring oil to large tankers.

He said Iranian forces had been striking five or six vessels involved in the operations each night over the past two or three months.

Read more: Saudi-led coalition says new attack at Riyadh airport causes fire, day after strike kills 13

There was no immediate comment from the US or the UAE on Rezaei’s claims.

Rezaei also rejected US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the Strait of Hormuz was open, insisting that Iran remained in control of the strategic waterway.

“From now on, therefore, we will maintain control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz. It will remain under our management to ensure peace and security in the region. We will not back down on this issue,” he said.

He said maritime traffic through the strait remained far below prewar levels and accused Washington and its regional allies of using smuggling networks to move oil through the waterway.

Rezaei also warned that Iran could target US-linked technology infrastructure in the region if the United States attacks the country again.

“We have not yet included these assets among our targets. But if war breaks out, many of these cables, data centres, artificial intelligence facilities and numerous other sites will be destroyed,” he said.

He put the value of such infrastructure at more than $2 trillion.

The Iranian official said Tehran was also prepared to deploy additional military capabilities in the event of renewed hostilities.

“Today, we are fully prepared to introduce new capabilities if the war starts again,” he said.