In brief
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that three vessels, two supertankers and a tugboat, caught fire last night while traversing an "illegal" route through the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC blamed the ships for hitting naval mines and claimed U.S. accusations and added that it seized two low‑cost drones earlier in the day. The incident follows Iran’s tightened restrictions on the passage since February 2026.
In the waters south of the Strait of Hormuz, three vessels – two supertankers and a tugboat – caught fire last night, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday. The IRGC said the ships were traveling through an "illegal and unauthorized" route that Iran had declared off-limits.
One tanker slammed into a naval mine and burst into flames while passing through the prohibited stretch. A second tanker, which was leaving the strait on the same route, was stopped inland of the waterway after catching fire. A tugboat that had approached the second tanker to aid its crew also caught fire and was listed as a casualty.
The IRGC said it had seized two low‑cost uncrewed combat drones that were described as “invading” assets. The agency called the seizure a separate, successful operation that neutralised the drones without damage.
In a statement on its official media outlet Sepah News, the IRGC blamed the vessels for the fires and for the mines that allegedly caused the damage. It also responded to U.S. accusations that it had induced the vessels to break the rule to get caught in a mined route.
During the statement, the IRGC spokesperson said the U.S. government had been "very heavy" in imposing insurance costs that put American taxpayers and their West Asian allies at risk. The IRGC said these policies were “intended to force ships through the mined route.”
The incident comes after Iran tightened its control over the strait on February 28, 2026, when it barred safe passage for vessels linked to Israel and the United States following joint strikes on Iranian territory. The IRGC has since overseen increased security measures, including the development of its own anti‑ship capabilities.
