Iran's IRGC says two tankers and tugboat caught fire in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The incidents happened after the vessels attempted to use an unauthorized route. According to the IRGC, a large oil tanker entered a southern passageway that the group deemed illegal, resulting in it hitting a mine and igniting into flames. Another supertanker leaving the eastern section of the waterway was caught in a massive blaze. The tugboat dispatched to combat the fire also caught fire.

The IRGC stated that the United States, which enforces hefty insurance costs on American taxpayers and its allies by encouraging vessels to breach mined passages, would have avoided these significant losses and political setbacks if it had exercised caution. Instead, the US incurred these expenses by releasing Iran's frozen funds, which are estimated to exceed half of the costs incurred so far.

The statement emphasized that breaking the law in the Strait of Hormuz would lead to further financial losses and political defeats for the US.