Four oil tankers catch fire in mine blasts in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran and the US trade claims

Four oil tankers have caught fire in mine explosions while trying to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's military announced the information on Thursday.

Only a day earlier, the US military had said it had removed mines from the strait and cleared the shipping lanes.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that three oil tankers caught fire in mine explosions in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours. The ships had been trying to pass through unauthorised routes on the southern side of the strait.

Iran's army said another oil tanker caught fire in a mine explosion on the eastern side of the strait. The ship had been trying to cross through the strait's reserved and dangerous area.

According to the IRGC statement, the first three ships had switched off their radar and navigation systems and even ignored warnings from the Iranian navy. It was not immediately known exactly when the ships caught fire or which countries' flags they were flying.

Meanwhile, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Thursday night that it had received a report of a fire on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometres) north-east of Khasab, Oman. The agency had earlier reported fires on two other vessels in the area.

In recent weeks, Iran has reported fires on several ships in mine explosions. In response, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which runs military operations in the region, has again claimed on social media that it has removed all mines from the main shipping lanes.

But on Thursday, IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi challenged CENTCOM's claim in a post on X, writing that proper evidence, rather than statements, should be provided to back the claim.

Since the war began on 28 February, Iran has effectively closed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of the fuel oil consumed worldwide used to be transported through this strait.

In response to the closure, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while also protecting oil tankers from Iranian attacks and helping them transit. On Sunday, CENTCOM said it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the strait since the summer.

In its statement on Thursday, the IRGC said: 'Mines have been laid on the unauthorised routes of the Strait of Hormuz. Responsibility for travelling through these routes lies with the ships' owners and crews. They should not heed CENTCOM's misleading statements on social media.'