An oil tanker blew up in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine on Sunday, according to Iran’s military-linked state media, which also claimed that the Islamic Republic had intercepted at least six ships in the past 24 hours.
The tanker, which was not immediately identified, allegedly strayed from Iran’s designated route in the strait before hitting a sea mine, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked Tasnim news agency reported.
Iran has repeatedly warned ships from using non-approved routes to sail through the Strait of Hormuz or risk coming under attack as tensions continue to flarewith the US.
Despite repeated threats from the Trump administration, the regime continues to claim control over the critical oil chokepoint, with the IRGC claiming it halted six ships from crossing the strait overnight.
The military force claimed the ships were forced to turn back after attempting an “unauthorized crossing,” with warning shots fired against the six vessels.
The interceptions come after the IRGC said it had stopped another four vessels from attempting to cross on Saturday.
Traffic along the Strait of Hormuz, which once oversaw the transport of 20% of the world’s oil supply, has sunk by 70% since the cease-fire breakdown earlier this month, with only a few dozen ships crossing the waterway every day.
The vast majority of the ships that are crossing the strait are either using Iran’s approved route, or employing shadow-fleet tactics to sneak through.
Concerns about the world’s oil supply grew after a new flashpoint in Saudi-Houthi relations, with the Iran-backed terrorist attacking tankers linked to the kingdom in the Red Sea.
Tehran’s influence over the waterways caused nearly two weeks of tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran, with President Trump warning that full-scale war could break out if the waterway is not open and free to all.
The president, however, halted the attacks over the weekendin favor of pushing for diplomacy.
The pause, however, does not represent a new cease-fire, with Trump insisting that the US was “locked and loaded” if Iran does not submit to his demands.
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