IRGC claims supertanker hit in Hormuz and set on fire; vessel was crossing with its signal switched off
Photo: Collected
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that a ship caught fire after it was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. News outlet Al Arabiya reported the attack on this strategically important waterway for global energy transport.
According to the report, the ship that was attacked was trying to cross the strait with its transponder, that is, its identification signal system, switched off and ignoring warnings. Separately, British maritime security agency UKMTO said it had received reports of attacks on ships in four separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Al Arabiya, Tehran has kept the Strait of Hormuz blockaded since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran in February this year. With this, the war spread across the Middle East. In response to Iran’s blockade, the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on the country’s ports. US forces further claim they are regularly escorting ships travelling through Hormuz.
However, since the war began, Tehran has frequently attacked ships trying to cross Hormuz without Iran’s permission. In a statement published on the IRGC’s news outlet ‘Sepah News’, the force’s navy said, ‘A supertanker has been struck in the Strait of Hormuz and has caught fire.’
According to the statement, the ship targeted on Monday (12 October) was trying to cross the area with its position-reporting signal system switched off. The ship also ignored warnings from the IRGC navy.
Earlier, last Saturday, IRGC navy commander Ali Ozmaei warned that ships keeping their transponders switched off while crossing Hormuz to avoid detection would be treated as ‘enemies’. At the time, he also spoke of taking ‘tough’ action against such ships.
Meanwhile, British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Monday that reports had been received of ships being hit in four separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
