Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that two unidentified tankers had caught fire after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and that Iranian forces had downed a US drone, as Tehran steps up attacks on commercial shipping.
What happened: In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said the two tankers had attempted to transit an “illegal route” in the south of the strait, where they struck mines laid by its naval forces, setting the vessels ablaze and bringing them to a halt. The statement did not identify the ships or specify when the incidents occurred.
The IRGC also said its air defense forces had identified and destroyed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone overnight while monitoring airspace over the strait. The US military operates MQ-9 Reapers for intelligence gathering and surveillance, and the aircraft can also carry out precision airstrikes. Al-Monitor has contacted US Central Command for comment.
“Passing through the mined and illegal route will result in nothing but the burning of the offenders’ assets,” the IRGC warned, according to Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency. It added that if US actions continued, oil companies would “have to pay a much heavier price.”