🔶 IRGC confirms explosion and the stopping of two oil tankers on the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Tuesday, 30 Tir (21 July) that it had stopped "two rogue oil tankers" that intended to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. In its statement, the IRGC said that the two tankers "were hit by an explosion, caught fire extensively, and stopped," and that rescue forces were removing the crew from these vessels.

The IRGC did not directly take responsibility for the attack on these tankers in its statement, and at the same time warned shipping companies not to "trust false information from the U.S. Army" and to avoid "contaminated and dangerous routes."

The IRGC’s reference to a "dangerous and contaminated" route is the Southern Corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, which is entirely in Oman’s territorial waters. After the agreement between Iran and the United States, Oman declared it as a route for the safe transit of foreign ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

In contrast, the Islamic Republic has introduced another route to the north of the Strait of Hormuz as a "safe shipping corridor," and has announced that ships must obtain permission from Iran to transit through this route.