IRGC: Two oil tankers explode after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz
TEHRAN, Sept. 02 (YPA) – The Public Relations Department of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that two oil tankers in violation of regulations exploded and caught fire after hitting a mine while crossing an illegal route allegedly encouraged by the United States.
In a statement on the incident, the IRGC said the two tankers had disembarked their crews hours earlier at the urging of the US military and were placed at the disposal of US agents to cross an illegal route.
The vessels subsequently exploded and came to a halt while on fire, the statement said, noting that the IRGC Navy had previously warned of the risks of navigating through the mined passage.
The statement clarified additional warnings and sanctions were expected to be imposed on maritime shipping companies that follow US orders instead of adhering to procedures, using the legal route, and placing their vessels at the disposal of what it described as the enemy. It added that the sanctions would be implemented soon.
It praised the resilience and resistance of the Iranian people, saying they had become a source of inspiration for peoples and that the world was witnessing their growing vigilance and efforts to tighten the noose on criminal oppressors. It stressed that the enemy’s brutal displays would not weaken Iranian forces’ control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC’s statement also accused the terrorist US military of repeating the previous night a pattern of intimidation allegedly used during attacks on various countries, including targeting wedding parties and marriage ceremonies to demonstrate what it called cruelty and brutality and to terrorize people.
It stressed that the Iranian people are not a people who fear such tactics, adding that “this century is the century of the triumph of the will of peoples.”
Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed and that passage will be permitted exclusively to commercial vessels in accordance with an approved memorandum of understanding.
They have stressed that the strait will not be fully reopened unless the war ends on all fronts, the blockade is lifted, and Washington fulfills its commitments under the memorandum.
AA