On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that four "violating" oil tankers had detonated after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, setting the vessels ablaze. The incident occurred as the tankers attempted to cross the strait via a prohibited southern route, according to a statement posted on the IRGC’s official outlet, Sepah News.
The IRGC also reported that two other ships bound for the strait were stopped, having not yet entered the waterway. Those same forces claimed to have intercepted an MQ‑9 Reaper drone as early as 4:30 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) and earlier, on Tuesday, shot down two U.S. low‑cost uncrewed combat attack system drones over Bandar‑e Khamir.
Earlier this month, the IRGC tightened its grip on the Stan, signalling that vessels linked to Israel and the United States could not safely transit the strait after multi‑nation strikes on Iran.
"Our air‑defence forces are fully prepared to deliver the ‘final blow’ against the United States and Israel," an IRGC official warned, according to Xinhua.
"The IRGC’s air defence forces shot down an MQ‑9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz at 4:30 a.m. local time (0100 GMT)."
