Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported on Thursday that two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in separate maritime incidents after allegedly attempting to navigate unauthorized corridors through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to formal statements carried by Iranian state-linked media, one large oil tanker was brought to a halt in a passage south of the strait after striking a sea mine.
At the same time, a second supertanker caught fire while exiting the eastern section of the strategic waterway under unconfirmed circumstances. A commercial tugboat that subsequently approached the supertanker to perform emergency firefighting operations also caught fire during the rescue attempt.
The IRGC attributed the maritime fires to non-compliance with navigation directives, claiming the vessels bypassed designated lanes in favor of routes unauthorized by Iranian maritime regulators.
The developments come amid heightened security tensions across the vital maritime choke point, which accounts for nearly a fifth of global petroleum transit.
International maritime oversight authorities are currently monitoring the situation to determine crew casualties, structural vessel damage, and potential environmental oil spillage along the commercial shipping lane.
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