TEHRAN / DUBAI — Two oil tankers were set on fire and brought to a halt after striking naval mines in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz overnight, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Tuesday, in an escalation that threatens one of the world's most critical oil shipping lanes.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media on Tuesday morning, the IRGC Navy said the two vessels were struck in what it called an "illegal" route south of the strait, where it says its forces have planted mines. The statement accused the tankers of violating Iranian rules of transit and warned that any vessel crossing the mined route would have "nothing but" its assets set on fire.
In the same statement, the IRGC claimed its air defenses had identified and destroyed a US MQ-9 surveillance drone that was monitoring the airspace over the strait overnight. The Pentagon has not immediately commented on the claim.
The IRGC issued a stark warning to Washington and to the shipping industry, saying that if what it called "the mischief of the arrogant US regime" continues, "oil companies will have to pay a bigger price." The Corps said its naval and aerospace forces are continuously monitoring the region and maintain control over the strait.
The incident comes just two days after the IRGC said a separate oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine in the same waters, and as air strikes continued to target Houthi positions in Yemen. The region has been on edge since the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which has disrupted shipping and pushed fuel prices higher around the world.
The Strait of Hormuz carries a huge share of the world's seaborne oil, and any threat to vessels transiting it has immediate consequences for global energy markets. Shipping firms and oil traders will be watching closely for independent confirmation of the Iranian claims and for any response from the United States or its allies.
This is a developing story. USA Daily News will update this post as verified details emerge.
Sources: Mehr News Agency, Al Jazeera, FxStreet.
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