DUBAI — Several powerful explosions were reported in the southern passage of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, possibly after oil tankers struck naval mines, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported, citing military sources.
The explosions occurred minutes earlier in the southern passage of the strategic waterway, according to the broadcaster
The sources said oil tankers using “unauthorized” routes may have hit mines deployed in the area.
The report did not provide details about the number or identities of the tankers, possible casualties or damage.
The reported explosions come amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has warned vessels against using routes not authorized by Tehran.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy official said Iranian forces have been carrying out operations every night in the Strait of Hormuz against vessels Tehran considers to be violating its rules.
Speaking to Iran’s Fars news agency, Ali Mohammadi, political deputy of the IRGC Navy, said the force had maintained “complete and absolute” surveillance of the strait since the first day of the war and would continue both offensive and defensive operations.
He also rejected figures cited by US President Donald Trump and media outlets about the amount of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying estimates of three million to eight million barrels were “incorrect”.
According to Mohammadi, those figures amounted to “media speculation” aimed at lowering oil prices and influencing the market.
Oil prices climbed on Thursday on continued worries about global supply following a record number of tanker attacks that sent crossings through the Strait of Hormuz to a two-month low.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose more than 5% at one point before pulling back to trade 4.8% higher at $105 a barrel at 8.30 a.m. ET. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, increased by a similar margin to $92.48 a barrel.
The number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to the lowest in more than two months after attacks on tankers in the key waterway reached their highest last week since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, shipping data showed.
Following celebrations by the Trump administration that US naval forces had allowed oil flows to reach nearly prewar levels, Iran has hit at least nine vessels in the strait last week — a level of violence not seen in months, according to data from the United Nations and maritime tracking firm Kpler.
With less than a month to go until the US midterm elections, Iran is escalating attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, dramatically reducing the amount of oil moving through.
Source: Saudi Gazette