In a statement issued early on Thursday, the IRGC’s Public Relations Office said that two oil tankers caught fire in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, with the first striking a sea mine while attempting to pass through an unauthorized passage south of the strait and the second catching fire while leaving the route in the eastern part of the waterway.

It added that a tugboat that had approached the vessel to help extinguish the fire also caught fire.

The IRGC Navy’s electronic warfare unit also took control of two LUCAS drones and brought them down safely before seizing them, the statement noted.

The IRGC said its naval forces continue to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the United States is encouraging vessels to pass through the mined route, imposing heavy insurance costs for damaged ships on American taxpayers and its regional allies.

It noted that attempts to violate regulations in the Strait of Hormuz would only bring further financial losses and greater political defeats for the United States.

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