Source : Perth Now news
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s powerful military organisation, says at least two oil tankers have hit sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guards said the tankers had tried to take a route not approved by Iran, with their tracking systems switched off, adding that the ships were escorted by US fighter jets.
There was initially no independent confirmation of the incidents.
The Guards had reported explosions on two oil tankers on Tuesday.
Earlier, on Sunday, three ships were reportedly hit by explosions.
An image captured by the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on Sunday showed a large cloud of black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz.
At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November after 37 attacks in October – the highest monthly tally since the conflict began – according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Iran’s armed forces had intensified their attacks on shipping in the strait recently, mainly to put domestic pressure on US President Donald Trump through rising prices ahead of the US congressional elections.
Israel and the US launched their war against Iran at the end of February.
In response, Iran’s armed forces effectively blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for a long time, using threats and attacks.
For several months, the US navy has been trying to restore trade in oil and liquefied natural gas by providing escort protection for civilian ships.
Before the war, leading Iranian generals had floated the Strait of Hormuz as a possible military and political pressure tool should their country one day be attacked.
At its narrowest point, the strait is only 35 to 40km wide, and during the war it has become a central point of conflict between Iran and the US.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told broadcaster al-Jazeera on Wednesday that the strait will not return to its pre-war status, adding its future will be determined within a seven-point framework proposed by Iran.
Qalibaf also said Iran’s priority was peace, provided its terms were accepted, and that it did not want the war to continue.
with Reuters
