Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Claim Tanker Explosions in Hormuz; U.S. Denies Mine Strike Reports

TEHRAN — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Saturday that two oil tankers exploded after striking mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an assertion immediately rejected by the U.S. military.

In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, the Guards alleged the vessels were attempting to navigate a minefield south of the strait, guided by “deceptive American intelligence agencies.” The statement did not identify the tankers involved. “To protect their capital and, more importantly, their lives, sailors should not be deceived and enter the minefield,” the IRGC warned.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a terse rebuttal on the social media platform X, stating: “Like most IRGC claims, this is false.”

Separately, the IRGC claimed its forces intercepted four vessels attempting to transit the waterway earlier Saturday. According to a statement broadcast by state media, the ships—allegedly supported by the “terrorist U.S. army”—were halted during a combined missile and drone operation.

The incident marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing contest for control of the vital maritime chokepoint. For roughly a week, Iran has effectively restricted access to the strait, directing commercial shipping to use northern corridors near its coastline rather than southern routes the U.S. has sought to secure.

In response to the threats to navigation, Washington has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and initiated nightly airstrikes targeting Tehran’s capacity to monitor and menace the waterway.

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