TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed on Saturday, July 18, 2026, that two oil tankers hit mines and exploded while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
Okay News reports that the Islamic Republic News Agency published a statement from the military organization detailing the incident. “An hour ago, two oil tankers, which were trying to pass through the minefield south of the Strait of Hormuz by deceptive American intelligence agencies, exploded and caught fire,” the Guards said.
“To protect their capital and, more importantly, their lives, the sailors should not be deceived and enter the minefield,” they said.
The United States Central Command disputed the assertion in a social media post on X. “Like most IRGC claims, this is false,” the military command said.
In a separate broadcast on state television on Saturday, the Guards announced they halted four additional vessels. “In the past hours, four violating ships with the support of the terrorist US army were trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and all four ships were stopped in place during a combined missile and drone operation,” the Guards said.
Iran announced the closure of the waterway on July 12, 2026. Authorities in Tehran directed cargo ships and tankers to navigate using northern channels near the Iranian coastline rather than the southern corridors.
The United States has reimposed a navy blockade against Iranian ports. American military forces are also carrying out nightly airstrikes on targets in Iran aimed at weakening the capacity of the country to monitor and threaten the strait.
