Oil Tanker Explodes in Strait of Hormuz After Colliding with Naval Mine

An oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with a naval mine outside a navigation route designated by Iran, Tehran’s state-affiliated media reported on Sunday. The oil tanker had allegedly drifted away from the shipping lane specified by the Iranian authorities in the strategic waterway before colliding with the mine, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported. However, there is no information available on casualties, the identity of the vessel, or the extent of the damage caused by the explosion. Iran had threatened on June 26 that shipping passage through the Strait of Hormuz is “only allowed” through routes designated by Tehran’s military. Citing an informed source, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that the vessel collided with a naval mine after it deviated from the designated route. In recent weeks, tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified, with military operations resuming by both countries. US President Donald Trump on July 8 declared that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Iran last month was over, accusing Tehran of violating the agreement. The mine explosion follows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) claim on Thursday that three oil tankers allegedly tried to use an unauthorised route in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said one of the oil tankers struck an explosive device in the strategic waterway and caught fire, prompting the other two vessels to turn back. Iranian forces warned that any vessel attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the authorities would “suffer the same fate.” Separately, the IRGC struck and disabled two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on July 14 after the vessels allegedly ignored Iranian military warnings, switched off their navigation systems, and entered a mined corridor outside the designated shipping route.