Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that its naval forces struck a Togo-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz after the vessel allegedly attempted an “illegal passage" through the strategic waterway.
According to Iranian state media, the IRGC Navy said the tanker caught fire and was forced to stop following the strike. The force claimed the vessel had attempted to cross the strait after being “incited and deceived" by the US military.
The IRGC said its forces continued to control the waterway and “will not allow any aggressor to pass through it." In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC Navy warned: “Illegal passage through the Strait of Hormuz will achieve nothing other than the destruction of the offending vessel."
The announcement followed a report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which said it had received information about a security incident in the Strait of Hormuz roughly 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman.
UKMTO said the crew was reported to be safe and that no environmental impact had been confirmed when the notice was issued.
Authorities were investigating the incident, according to UKMTO, which advised ships operating in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States and Iran continue military exchanges in the region. On April 13, Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iran, giving US Central Command authority to inspect vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports as part of efforts to restrict Iranian petroleum exports and maritime traffic.
A temporary 60-day agreement reached in June suspended the embargo in exchange for unrestricted commercial shipping. Washington reinstated the blockade in July following renewed clashes and attacks on vessels in the region.
Iran announced last week that it would create a new “prohibited zone" near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said the designated area would extend beyond the strait into portions of the Persian Gulf.