Iran says three tankers hit by mines in Hormuz catch fire

Iran's navy and Revolutionary Guards reported on Saturday that fires broke out on three oil tankers after they struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Two oil tankers that had disabled their radar and positioning systems attempted to transit the strait via an unauthorized route before detonating and bursting into flames. The Guards' navy stated this incident occurred in the south of the waterway, according to an early Saturday report from the Iranian state broadcaster.

A separate statement from Iran's conventional navy claimed another tanker navigating through the unsafe and prohibited zone east of the Strait of Hormuz, with tracking and identification systems turned off, caught fire and had to be halted following a strike by a naval mine. The statements did not disclose the names or origins of the vessels involved, but the Guards confirmed that one of the tankers hit in the south Hormuz was a supertanker.

Footage released by the Guards on Friday showed a significant plume of smoke rising from a vessel they claimed was carrying liquefied gas and struck by a mine in the south of the strait.