Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Friday that a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker had exploded after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz, a key flashpoint in the confrontation between the United States and Iran.
Iran has imposed strict restrictions on traffic through the strategic waterway, which is vital for global energy supplies, since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February. Tehran says it controls the strait and regularly targets vessels that do not follow the route it has designated along its coastline.
In response, the United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in April and began escorting oil tankers travelling through the strait, which before the war served as a passage for around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
In a statement on Friday, the IRGC said: “A few hours ago, a vessel carrying liquefied natural gas attempted to cross an unauthorised route south of the Strait of Hormuz, in its eastern section. It struck a sea mine and experienced a powerful explosion.”
The IRGC did not identify the vessel or specify the country whose flag it was flying.
Tehran has reported fires aboard several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, while Washington maintains that most of the mines in the waterway have been removed.
Earlier on Friday, the IRGC announced that its forces had targeted a US early-warning radar system in Bahrain, according to a statement carried by Iranian state radio and television.
There was no immediate confirmation from Manama or Washington, whose military bases across the Gulf region have faced repeated attacks since the war with Iran began eight months ago.
Hostilities have declined significantly since the April ceasefire agreement, although Iran and the United States continue to exchange strikes from time to time.
