Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday said two oil tankers were on fire in Strait of Hormuz after hitting mines in the waterway at the heart of the Middle East war. Tehran seized control over Hormuz after the start of the war in late Feb, choking off the strait that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption.
“A supertanker in violation of regulations, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and attempting to pass illegally through the Strait of Hormuz, struck a mine, triggering an explosion and a fierce fire,” the Revolutionary Guards said.
The statement did not specify the exact location of the incident.
Later Saturday, the Guards said “a second offending supertanker was engulfed in a massive blaze after hitting a naval mine,” adding it also carried “more than two million barrels of crude oil” and was attempting to pass the Strait.
The origins of the load and the tanker’s flag were not immediately disclosed.
Flanked by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, Hormuz Strait is about 30 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.
Since taking control of the strait, Iran has demanded that all ships seek its authorisation before transiting.
“The tanker attempted to cross the strait with US support... by deactivating all its tracking systems,” the Guards added, also posting a video of a vessel in flames during the night.
On Thursday and Friday, Iran’s army said two tankers had caught fire in what Tehran calls its “prohibited zone” in Gulf of Oman, which extends into Arabian Sea.
Saudi ‘cluster munition’ strikes kill 12, Houthis say
Saudi strikes that began overnight have killed at least 12 people in Yemen, three of them children, Houthi media reported on Saturday.
Saudi warplanes targeted “civilian homes” in Taiz governorate on Saturday, killing nine people and wounding 16, its news agency said, adding that people were still trapped under the rubble.
It also said overnight strikes in Dhamar province killed three children and wounded 17. It said the strikes were carried out “using cluster bombs, which are banned internationally”.
Source: AFP
--Agencies
