Tehran, Oct 17 (IANS) The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Saturday that a second “violating” supertanker had exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a naval mine, hours after a similar incident involving another tanker.
In a statement published on the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said the blast occurred on Saturday morning, causing a “huge” fire on the vessel, which was carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil.
It said the oil tanker had turned off its GPS and radar systems and was seeking to cross the waterway through an “illegal” route, adding that the explosion occurred in the vessel’s engine room and brought it to a halt, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Earlier in the day, the IRGC Navy said another “violating” supertanker seeking to transit the strait through an “unauthorised” route had suffered a “huge” explosion after hitting a naval mine.
It added that the explosion resulted in a “massive” fire on the oil tanker, which had turned off its GPS and radar systems and was carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil.
On Wednesday, the IRGC Navy said a “violating” container ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorised and high-risk” route sank earlier in the day after hitting a naval mine south of the waterway.
Speaking to state-run IRIB TV on Tuesday, IRGC Navy Commander Ali Azmaei said his troops are controlling the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz “round the clock,” while the Gulf of Oman is under the control and supervision of Iran’s navy.
He warned that those violating shipping rules under US “deception or provocation” would face a decisive response from Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday reiterated that his country does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, dismissing anti-Tehran propaganda claiming otherwise as a “lie.”
Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, according to a statement on his office’s website.
“Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, and we consider the destructive propaganda against our country as a lie,” he said, citing the clear positions of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei regarding the prohibition of developing nuclear weapons.
–IANS
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