Two oil tankers caught fire in the eastern Strait of Hormuz after striking a naval mine, the Iranian Navy said Saturday.
In a statement carried by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, the Navy said the vessels had been operating in restricted waters after disabling their tracking systems.
"Fire and explosions are the fate of tankers involved in illegal activities that have turned off their tracking systems and are operating in restricted areas," the statement said.
The Iranian Navy did not identify the vessels, disclose their national flags or provide details about the extent of the damage. The reported incident had not been independently verified at the time of publication.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital international shipping corridor connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, has experienced repeated disruptions since the US-Israeli military offensive against Iran began on February 28.
Iranian forces have previously reported similar incidents involving commercial vessels allegedly entering restricted maritime areas.