Two oil tankers exploded after hitting Iranian mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy spokesperson announced in a statement to the state media channel Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Sunday.
The tankers "were in violation of regulations," the spokesperson said, explaining that they were traveling on "an unauthorized route in the Strait."
"One of the vessels is a supertanker; it is currently engulfed in flames following a powerful explosion," the statement added.
The IRGC spokesperson added that oil tankers had switched off the navigation and identification systems, as they wanted " to pass covertly through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz with the support of the terrorist US military."
"Following the incident, [the tanker] was brought to a halt," he added.
UKMTO: Separate tanker hit by projectile in Hormuz
An oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unknown projectile earlier on Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime and Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center announced.
The master of a nearby tanker reported that the other vessel had been struck, UKMTO explained.
The incidents come amid repeated attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil export routes, since the outbreak of the conflict between the US and Iran in February.
Iran has hit vessels it says have violated its restrictions on passage through the strategic waterway, as it seeks to assert control over the strait and exert pressure on Washington.
On Friday, the IRGC Navy spokesperson said that two oil tankers that switched off their navigation systems were involved in an incident and stopped in waters south of the Strait of Hormuz, after ignoring radio warnings and attempting to use what it described as an unauthorized route through the strategic waterway.
Iran also said on Friday that it destroyed a US unmanned vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate confirmation from the US military.
Tanker struck by two projectiles near Saudi Arabia, UKMTO says
A tanker traveling southeast through the Gulf was struck by two unidentified projectiles on its port side, 72 nautical miles east of Saudi Arabia's Ras al-Khafji, UKMTO said on Monday.
All crew members were accounted for, and no environmental impact had been reported, the UKMTO added.