IRGC Says Two Ships Involved In Strait Of Hormuz ‘Accident’ After Taking ‘Unsafe Route’
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that two ships were involved in an “accident” after attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an “unsafe route”, while two other vessels turned back and abandoned their passage, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, with Iran tightening its oversight of commercial vessels following renewed military exchanges with the United States.
According to the IRGC Navy, four vessels it described as “violating vessels” backed by “American terrorists” switched off their navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings from the Strait of Hormuz Control Base before attempting to leave the waterway through what it called an unsafe route.
“Vessels that are influenced by the words of the Americans and enter unsafe routes will certainly face accidents,” the IRGC said in a statement.
The IRGC said two of the vessels were involved in incidents and were forced to stop, while the other two turned back and abandoned their route. It did not identify the ships or provide details of the reported accidents.
The Guard Corps repeated that Iran maintained full control over the Strait of Hormuz and said only routes approved by Iranian authorities would be allowed.
It also reiterated that “not a single drop of oil, gas, or chemical fertiliser” would pass through the waterway without prior authorisation and cooperation.
The statement added that vessels attempting to use unapproved routes under the influence of American propaganda would “certainly be involved in incidents.”
The reported incidents happened as tensions increased in the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Iran resumed military exchanges following the collapse of a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire.
Iran has since increased monitoring of commercial ships passing through the waterway.
The IRGC did not identify the vessels or provide evidence to support its claims. It also gave no further details about the nature of the reported accidents, and the condition of the two ships that were forced to stop remains unclear.
References: ndtvprofit, Wionnews
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