October 12, 2026
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran announced, on Saturday, that a giant crude oil tanker had been exposed to a powerful explosion inside a “high-risk” area in the Strait of Hormuz, as a result of it colliding with a sea mine while trying to leave the waterway via an unauthorized route.
The Public Relations of the Revolutionary Guards explained, in an official statement, that the tanker had disabled the navigation and location systems before the accident occurred, which led to it colliding with the mine and the outbreak of huge fires that could be clearly seen from the neighboring coastal areas, confirming that it was taking an unauthorized route while trying to exit the strait.
In the same context, the Guards Naval Force issued a strong warning of the consequences of violating the navigation procedures in force in the Strait, stressing that “a devastating fire is the fate that awaits any violating tanker that chooses to ignore the security procedures and regulations of the Strait of Hormuz.”
This incident comes in light of the continued Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran requires an end to American attacks and interventions in the region in order to reopen it, in conjunction with regional diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching an agreement regarding the management of navigation in the vital passage.
In this regard, the Iranian capital is holding intensive consultations with the Sultanate of Oman, with which it shares supervision of the strait, to discuss arrangements related to the management of maritime traffic.
The Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly reaffirmed that the Strait of Hormuz is under its full control, pointing out that the “Iranian Authority for the Management of Navigation through Hormuz” is the body exclusively authorized to determine the routes that ships are allowed to use.
