New Delhi:
A crude oil supertanker exploded and caught fire after it hit a mine while trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz using an “unauthorised and dangerous route”, Iranian media Press TV has reported.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in a statement said the crude oil supertanker had switched off its navigation and global positioning systems while trying to leave the strait and before it hit the naval mine.
The fire was so huge that people living along the coast, a considerable distance away, reported seeing it too.
“A massive fire awaits any violating oil tanker that seeks to disregard the security and regulations of the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said.
It said action against vessels taking unauthorised routes would no longer be confined to the Strait of Hormuz, but they would be pursued and “punished” across the entire region.
Iran says its armed forces have been in full control of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the “US-Israeli aggression”. Commercial traffic through the strait has also fallen sharply, with vessel movements dropping to single digits amid the ongoing war.
Tehran has said it will not reopen the waterway until the US meets its demands and takes steps to restore Iran’s trust.
Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday said his country will not abandon the negotiating table although the US has attacked it twice amid previous talks between the two sides, according to a statement issued by his office.
In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, Pezeshkian said, “We are negotiating. However, whenever we engage in dialogue with the United States, they attack again. Nevertheless, we will not abandon the negotiating table and dialogue.”