BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 14. Last night, in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz, an oil tanker that had violated regulations struck a sea mine, resulting in a fire, according to the Iranian Army’s Public Affairs Department.
“The oil tanker, which ignored prior warnings and attempted to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz after disabling its GPS systems, tried to cross a dangerous section of the strait. However, the tanker struck a sea mine, and a fire broke out,” the statement said.
The Iranian Army states that any oil tanker attempting to navigate a prohibited route in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz will strike a sea mine and catch fire. It is regrettable that the owners of oil tankers, despite the fate of other vessels that have violated the rules, are directing their investments straight into the mines.
The latest escalation in US-Iranian relations began on July 8. On that day, for the first time since the signing of the memorandum between Washington and Tehran, the U.S. Armed Forces launched several waves of strikes against Iranian territory, claiming that this was in response to an attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz. On the same day, US President Donald Trump announced the end of the ceasefire with Iran. In response, Tehran began striking US targets located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman. As a result of the conflict, maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz came to a standstill.
