UPDATE - Iran says navy destroyed ‘enemy’ unmanned vessel, 2 tankers damaged in Strait of Hormuz
- Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy says vessels had switched off navigation systems, tried to travel via unauthorized routes
ADDS SEPARATE UNMANNED VESSEL DESTROYED; DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; OTHER EDITS
By Lina Altawell
ISTANBUL (AA) - Iran’s Navy said Friday that it had destroyed an “enemy unmanned vessel” operating east of the Strait of Hormuz, while two tankers were separately damaged and caught fire after hitting naval mines in areas Iran considers restricted and unsafe.
According to a statement carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, the unmanned vessel was struck and destroyed early Friday while operating in an area east of the strait monitored by the Iranian Navy.
The statement did not identify the vessel or its operator or provide further details on its activity.
Separately, the Iranian Navy said two tankers had switched off their tracking systems and were sailing in restricted and unsafe areas east of the Strait of Hormuz, despite warnings.
The tankers struck naval mines, took damage, and caught fire, it said.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said that two tankers had been stopped in the Strait of Hormuz while trying to transit through unauthorized routes.
In a statement carried by Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC Navy said one tanker was in the eastern part of the strait and the other in the western part.
It said both vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and claimed they were operating with support from the US military.
According to the IRGC statement, the tankers entered areas Iran considers unsafe after ignoring several radio warnings before being stopped near the strait’s southern shores.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency also published video footage that it said showed the two tankers stopped in the western and eastern parts of the Strait of Hormuz while trying to transit through unauthorized routes.
The incidents come amid rising tensions between Iran and the US about navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy and commodity supplies.
On Feb. 28, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and US targets in the region before a ceasefire agreement was reached in April.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June concerning freedom of navigation in the strait, but its implementation stalled over disagreements related to security in the strategic waterway as tensions continued to escalate.