Tehran, October 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that a supertanker attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an “unauthorised” route had suffered a massive explosion after hitting a naval mine.
According to a statement published by Sepah News, the IRGC’s official news outlet, the explosion triggered a major fire aboard the oil tanker. The navy claimed that the vessel had switched off its GPS and radar systems before the incident.
The report said the tanker was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and had attempted to pass through the strait with the support of the US military. Sepah News also reported that the waterway had been closed, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The latest claim comes days after the IRGC Navy said on Wednesday that a container ship attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an “unauthorised and high-risk” route had sunk after hitting a naval mine south of the waterway.
Speaking to state-run IRIB TV on Tuesday, IRGC Navy Commander Ali Azmaei said Iranian forces were monitoring the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz around the clock, while the Gulf of Oman remained under the control and supervision of Iran’s navy.
Azmaei warned that vessels violating shipping rules under what he described as US “deception or provocation” would face a decisive response from Iran.
Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated on Friday that Tehran had no intention of developing nuclear weapons, dismissing allegations to the contrary as a “lie”.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, according to a statement published on the Iranian president’s official website.
“Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, and we consider the destructive propaganda against our country as a lie,” Pezeshkian said, referring to the stated positions of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei opposing the development of nuclear weapons.
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