The Iranian Revolutionary Guard stated this Sunday that two ships suffered incidents in the Strait of Hormuz after attempting to cross the maritime passage via a route that Tehran considers unsafe and unauthorized by its naval forces.
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According to the Iranian military body, four vessels reportedly turned off their navigation systems and ignored warnings from the strait control base. Two of them, according to Tehran’s version, suffered incidents and were detained, while the other two gave up continuing through that route.
“Four infringing ships, with the connivance and support of the American terrorists, turned off their navigation systems and ignored the warnings from the Strait of Hormuz control base of the Revolutionary Guard Navy,” the organization said in a statement reported by Iranian media.
The military body did not provide details about the type of accident, the identity of the ships, their nationality, or if there were any injuries.
The Revolutionary Guard maintained that it has “full control” of the Strait of Hormuz and stated that the only safe route to cross it is the one announced by Iranian authorities.
“Not a single drop of oil, gas, or chemical fertilizer will pass through the Strait of Hormuz without coordination and authorization,” warned the Iranian military body. Additionally, Tehran alerted that ships following recommendations from the United States and entering routes considered unsafe “will undoubtedly suffer incidents.”
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The statement comes amid a new military escalation between Iran and the United States, marked by U.S. attacks on southern Iranian territory and Tehran’s retaliatory operations against U.S. targets in various Middle Eastern countries.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the central points of dispute between the two countries. Iran insists on controlling maritime traffic and demands that vessels navigate through routes defined by Tehran and with its permission.
The United States and other countries in the region, however, have not accepted this claim. According to available background, Washington has promoted an alternative route to the south, through the territorial waters of Oman, to avoid Iranian control.
At the beginning of July, Oman opened a second route with U.S. backing. Iran responded by attacking commercial ships attempting to cross that route.
Tensions also escalated after Washington reimposed the naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports in Hormuz, two days after Tehran announced a new closure of the maritime passage, through which before the war nearly 20% of the world’s oil transited.
