Iran reports fresh fires as two oil tankers hit trouble in Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reported that two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in separate incidents in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian military said the incidents occurred on Thursday after the vessels allegedly attempted to navigate routes it had not authorised.

According to the IRGC, one of the tankers struck a naval mine while attempting to cross a passage south of the strait.

In a separate incident, another supertanker caught fire while leaving a route in the eastern section of the waterway.

The military added that a tugboat which approached the second tanker to help put out the flames also caught fire.

The incidents raise fresh concerns about maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, a major international shipping corridor through which substantial volumes of the world’s oil supplies pass.

The latest development comes amid heightened tensions involving Iran and the United States, with the strategic waterway remaining a major flashpoint in the confrontation.

However, the Iranian military’s account of Thursday’s incidents has not been independently verified.