Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Oct 17: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Saturday that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil suffered a massive explosion after hitting a naval mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route.
The vessel, described by the IRGC Navy as “violating” shipping rules, subsequently caught fire, according to a statement published by the force’s official news outlet, Sepah News.
The navy said the tanker had switched off its GPS and radar systems before the incident. It also alleged that the vessel had attempted to pass through the strategic waterway with the support of the US military.
Sepah News reported that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed.
On Wednesday, the IRGC Navy said a container ship attempting to cross the strait through an “unauthorised and high-risk” route had sunk after striking a naval mine south of the waterway.
Speaking to state-run IRIB TV on Tuesday, IRGC Navy Commander Ali Azmaei said Iranian forces were monitoring the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz round the clock, while the Gulf of Oman remained under the control and supervision of Iran’s navy.
He warned that vessels violating shipping regulations under what he described as US “deception or provocation” would face a decisive response from Iran.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday reiterated that Tehran had no intention of developing nuclear weapons, dismissing allegations to the contrary as a “lie”.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
According to a statement published on his office’s website, Pezeshkian said Iran did not seek to develop nuclear weapons and rejected what he called destructive propaganda against the country.
He also referred to the stated position of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had opposed the development of nuclear weapons.