Iran’s Navy said an oil tanker caught fire on Saturday morning after striking a naval mine in the eastern Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The vessel was reportedly disabled after entering a restricted maritime zone despite earlier warnings from Iranian authorities.Earlier the Navy also warned oil tankers against entering a restricted maritime zone east of the Strait of Hormuz after the vessel caught fire.According to Iran’s state news agency ISNA, the Navy said the tanker had switched off its tracking and identification systems while sailing through what it described as an unsafe and restricted area, despite earlier warnings.The Navy cautioned that other tankers entering the prohibited zone could meet a similar fate. It also accused vessel owners of putting their assets at risk by relying on assurances from US President Donald Trump.“It is regrettable that tanker owners, without learning from the fate of other rogue vessels, trusting the nonsense of the criminal US president, are sending their capital to the mine war and throwing it into the fire,” the Navy’s public relations department said, as reported by ISNA.The warning came hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed that two oil tankers attempting to cross the southern Strait of Hormuz without authorisation had exploded and caught fire after striking naval mines.The IRGC Navy also urged shipping companies not to cross the strategic waterway without coordinating with its Traffic Control Centre and following arrangements laid down by Iranian authorities.The incidents come amid escalating tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a major flashpoint in the conflict.Iran has restricted maritime movement through the waterway following the US-Israeli military campaign against the country, which began on February 28. Tehran has maintained that vessels must obtain authorisation from Iranian authorities to ensure safe passage.The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important international shipping route through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply is transported.
