Iran says two tankers catch fire after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said two oil tankers, each carrying about two million barrels of crude oil, caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The first tanker hit a mine, triggering an explosion and a “fierce fire”, the IRGC said on Saturday, while the second tanker hit a mine that engulfed it “in a massive blaze”, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported. Information about the ships’ names or the origin of their cargo was not immediately available. IRNA said the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and tried to use a route not authorised by Iran. The IRGC also claimed that while one tanker tried to cross the waterway “with US support”, the second vessel was left immobilised.