Berlin, Nov 10. (dpa/GNA) – Explosions aboard two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and the ensuing fires have forced them to stop, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The report said the tankers had violated Iranian regulations, and used unauthorized routes through the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
One of the vessels struck a mine, according to the report, which could not initially be independently verified.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, separately reported on Tuesday afternoon that a tanker had been hit by an unidentified projectile off the Omani coast. The crew was safe, it said. It was not immediately clear whether the incident involved one of the two tankers mentioned in the Iranian report.
Iran’s armed forces have stepped up their attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Their targets are generally oil tankers and cargo ships travelling along a southern route close to the Omani coast.
For several months, the US Navy has been escorting civilian vessels through the area, in an effort to restore the transport of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Tehran’s aim is to put pressure on the United States and President Donald Trump by driving up energy prices.
GNA