Tensions in Hormuz escalate: Iran's Revolutionary Guards report attack on supertankers

Massive explosions disabled two supertankers in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after they ignored warnings while attempting to pass through the strait via an unauthorized route. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement, Reuters reports.

The IRGC has recently been regularly reporting vessels that hit naval mines while sailing through the strait along the so-called southern route off the Omani coast, which Tehran considers illegal.

According to British maritime security firm Ambrey, an unknown projectile struck the stern of a merchant vessel leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. The incident, which started a fire in the engine room, occurred 26 kilometers northwest of the Emirati city of Ras al-Khaimah. No one was injured in the attack.

In response to the US-Israeli strikes in February, Tehran sharply curtailed maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, among other measures, using both threats and repeated attacks on tankers and cargo ships. The United States launched a naval blockade of Iran in April. Both countries have repeatedly taken military action against ships that defied their blockades at various stages of the conflict. The full reopening of the strait to safe and free navigation and the lifting of the US blockade remain among the main points of contention in talks between the United States and Iran.