Oil tanker explodes in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a naval mine

An oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (July 26) after colliding with a naval mine outside a navigation route designated by Iran said Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports. No immediate official statement has been released by the Iranian authorities about the incident so far.

The incident comes after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday said that three oil tankers attempted to use an unauthorised southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.

One of the tankers, according to IRGC, struck an explosive device and caught fire, prompting the other two to turn back after receiving warnings. It also threatened that vessels attempting to transit the waterway without coordinating with Iranian authorities would "suffer the same fate."