Iran’s IRGC Says Supertanker Hit Mine in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said Saturday that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude struck a naval mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel’s identity and the incident’s exact location were not disclosed, and the account has not been independently verified. The IRGC said the mine strike triggered an explosion aboard the tanker. It alleged that the vessel was using a route Iran had not authorized and had switched off its positioning and tracking systems while attempting to cross the strait. Some accounts of the statement also included an allegation that the tanker was proceeding with US support. These claims came from the IRGC and were not independently confirmed. The force did not provide details about the tanker’s owner, flag or crew, or say whether anyone was injured. It also did not report whether the incident caused environmental damage. A video posted by Iranian state media was described as appearing to show a vessel ablaze, but the available information does not establish when or where it was filmed or whether it depicts this incident. The report comes amid heightened tensions over shipping through the Strait of...