Iran said on Friday that its forces had struck an "enemy" unmanned surface vehicle (USV) east of the Strait of Hormuz and that four "violating" oil tankers were damaged or caught fire in separate incidents in the strategic waterway.
The Iranian Army's Navy said in a statement that its forces destroyed the USV as it was operating east of the strait, according to the army's website. It added that two "violating" oil tankers, which had turned off their tracking systems and, after repeatedly ignoring Iran's radio warnings, entered the "forbidden and unsafe" regions east of the waterway, were damaged after striking naval mines and caught fire.
Separately, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Friday that two "violating" oil tankers, one east of the strait and the other west, with U.S. military support, sought to cross the waterway through the "unauthorized" route and were stopped in the strait's southern waters after earlier incidents.
In another statement the same day, the IRGC Navy said a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil hit a naval mine on an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, exploded and caught fire.
Later in the day, the IRGC Navy said a fourth oil tanker exploded and caught fire while violating rules in the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring its radio warnings.
Iran warned the enemy that any action, infiltration or provocation in areas under the jurisdiction of the Iranian Armed Forces would face a strong counterattack from the Iranian Navy.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran says "enemy" USV struck, "violating" tankers caught fire in Hormuz Strait
