BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 22. Seven vessels
that violated regulations in the Strait of Hormuz have been forced
to halt, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
announced.
According to the statement of IRGC, four tankers that entered
the Persian Gulf via unauthorized routes with support from the U.S.
military were tracked by IRGC naval forces.
“The four tankers were detected transferring oil between vessels
in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. All four tankers were
hit, and fires broke out on board,” the statement said.
The IRGC also said that three vessels violating regulations in
the western part of the Strait of Hormuz struck naval mines
overnight. Fires broke out as a result, forcing the vessels to
stop.
“U.S. support for vessels using an unauthorized route through a
mined area has led to a growing number of maritime incidents. The
US side must be aware that, if this continues, the confrontation
will expand to military bases in the region. This is a serious
warning,” the statement said.
Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated again on
July 8. On that day, U.S. forces launched several waves of strikes
on Iranian territory, claiming they were responding to an attack on
a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes were the
first since a memorandum was signed between Washington and
Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the termination of the
ceasefire with Iran later that day. In response, Tehran began
striking U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the
United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The conflict has brought maritime trade through the Strait of
Hormuz to a standstill.
