TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said two supertankers seeking to cross the "unauthorized" route south of the Strait of Hormuz suffered explosions on Friday after hitting naval mines.
The blasts set the vessels' engine rooms on fire, bringing them to a halt, the navy said in a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.
It said the oil tankers were carrying a total of over 4.5 million barrels of crude oil, adding that the crew members abandoned the vessels following the collisions.
Earlier in the day, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a source close to the IRGC Navy as saying that traffic by "violating" vessels in the Strait of Hormuz had been "completely stopped" after Iran destroyed navigational aid systems serving such ships and targeted four "offending" tankers in the waterway on Thursday.
"In case oil smuggling (in the strait) is resumed, much more crushing actions will be taken against violating vessels and technical aid systems," the informed official added.
Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory. ■