Oil tanker with two million barrels hit a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz

An oil tanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the vessel struck a naval mine, the Guard said. The blaze reportedly began in the engine room following an explosion, and Iranian state media published video of the incident.

The Guard’s statement said the tanker was navigating along an “unauthorized southern route” and that its positioning and navigation systems had been turned off. No vessel name, flag, owner details or casualty figures were provided in the announcement.

Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps framed the event as part of a wider security concern for shipping through the narrow waterway that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

Warning to ships that disable navigation systems

Admiral Ali Ozmai, commander of the IRGC naval forces, earlier warned that “any ship that switches off navigation systems will be considered hostile.” The statement underscored Tehran’s position that vessels operating without active navigation equipment may be treated as threats to regional security.

The incident adds to growing worries about the safety of commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes. Disruptions in the area can quickly affect global energy markets and raise tensions among regional and extra‑regional navies.

Iranian state outlets released footage of the burning tanker and the aftermath, but international verification of the cause and full circumstances of the explosion was not available in the initial reports.

Photo: press material from the event