Two oil tankers and a tugboat have reportedly caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a statement carried by the official news agency on Thursday that the vessels had been trying to use "unauthorised routes" through the strait.
According to the statement, a large oil tanker struck a mine on Wednesday night while attempting to pass through an "unauthorised route" south of the strait, caught fire and stopped. In a separate incident, another supertanker caught fire while leaving the route in the eastern part of the strait, and a tugboat that approached to help fight the blaze also caught fire. The claims, and any casualties, could not be independently verified.
The IRGC also claimed its navy's electronic warfare unit had "taken control" of two "intruding" aircraft and that it continued to control the strait. It accused the United States of encouraging ships to break restrictions and pass through a mined route, warning that such attempts would bring Washington further financial losses and political setbacks.
Separately, the US State Department on Wednesday sanctioned two individuals and one entity accused of helping Iran obtain man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS). It named Mohammed Ali Tolibov, chief executive of Belarus-based Armoury Alliance; Nigeria-based Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited; and Russia-based Alisher Domullodzhanov, alleging the network sought to procure Chinese-origin MANPADS for Iran using false end-users.