Three violating tankers transiting unauthorized route explode in Hormuz: IRGC

In a statement on Thursday, the public relations office of the IRGC Navy said the vessels were subsequently abandoned off the southern coast of the strategic waterway, which has remained under Iran’s control over the past eight months.

“The oil tankers had switched off all their radar and navigation systems and were attempting to leave via an unauthorized route south of the Strait of Hormuz, ignoring warnings from the IRGC Navy, when they hit naval mines and exploded,” it added.

The IRGC Navy also warned that unauthorized routes in the Strait are mined and that vessel owners and crews are responsible for using those paths.

It further noted that vessel owners and crews should not be misled by the United States Central Command’s (CENTCOM) claims on social media about the Strait of Hormuz.

“The facts on the ground will determine the outcome. Any provocative action, supported by the terrorist and invading US military’s act of mischief, that disregards the regulations governing the Strait will be met with a resolute response,” it cautioned.

Meanwhile, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi called on “child-killing CENTCOM” to substantiate its claims of mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz with independently verifiable evidence not statements.

 “The reality in the Strait of Hormuz is determined in the air, on land, and at sea—not on social media or in the US’s media war rooms,” he asserted.

He also cited the 1956 Suez Crisis as an example of how powerful countries like Britain can face constraints when attempting to control strategically vital maritime routes.

Additionally, on Thursday, Iran's Army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz is currently under the strategic control of the country’s armed forces and that it will remain closed until the Islamic Republic’s conditions have been fully met.

Iran restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the criminal US-Israeli aggression, which began on February 28 and came to a halt in early April after 40 days.

On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed a Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose Article 5 places responsibility for reopening and managing the Strait squarely in Iran’s hands.

However, Washington attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait and imposed a naval blockade in violation of the war-ending deal, prompting Tehran to declare the vital global energy chokepoint closed to all traffic.