The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday it attacked and disabled two supertankers in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging they had turned off their navigation systems and used an unauthorized route after cooperating with "American deception." The IRGC accused the United States of attempting to force vessels off a legal course hours earlier, and warned that cooperating with the "aggressor enemy" will cause delays to the reopening of the strait, precipitating a global energy crisis. The report comes from a single source and remains unverified.
In a statement released early Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its naval forces had attacked and disabled two oil supertankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC alleged that the vessels had turned off their navigation systems and ignored warnings from the strait's security control center, choosing to cross a designated route after cooperating with what it called "American deception." The statement claimed that U.S. forces had attempted to compel several vessels to deviate from their legal course hours before the incident.
The IRGC cautioned that cooperating with the "aggressor enemy" would bring "only regret, losses, and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, precipitating a global energy crisis." The report is based on a single source — the IRGC's own public relations statement — and has not been independently verified by additional channels.
The announcement comes amid an ongoing series of escalatory moves by the IRGC across the Strait of Hormuz over the past several weeks. As The Zioneer has reported, the IRGC previously asserted full control of the strait (June 25), bombed a vessel (July 7), warned U.S. vessels (June 28), and threatened immediate strikes on unauthorized shipping (July 2). U.S. Navy forces have also issued warnings to IRGC vessels in the area.
It remains unclear whether the two tankers were actually hit, what condition the vessels and their crews are in, and whether any third party has confirmed the attack.
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