Iran says Strait of Hormuz is completely closed as navy reports tanker incident

Iran’s Army Navy reported an oil tanker fire east of the Strait of Hormuz and warned vessels against switching off tracking systems. An Iranian military official separately claimed the strategic waterway was completely closed, though the claims remain attributed to Tehran.

Tehran: The Iranian Army’s Navy announced that its monitoring teams on Thursday detected a “violating” oil tanker that had caught fire earlier in the day while seeking to cross the “forbidden region” east of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement published on the army’s website, the navy said its teams detected the oil tanker as they were patrolling and controlling the strait’s eastern waters.

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It added that the “violating” oil tanker had turned off its tracking systems and sought to pass through the “forbidden region,” stressing that its forces have full control and dominance over the strait’s eastern waters.

The navy said on Tuesday its monitoring teams had detected another “violating” oil tanker that had sustained damage and caught fire on the same day while crossing the “forbidden region” east of the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The navy stressed that through a new deployment of its operational units east of the strait and across the Arabian Sea and the Sea of Oman, it is continuously monitoring all “enemy” activities and vessels’ movements in real time and with full dominance.

It strongly advised all vessels to strictly refrain from switching off their electronic equipment in compliance with international regulations and to ensure necessary coordination with Iran’s armed forces for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Thursday, Deputy Chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination Habibollah Sayyari said the Strait of Hormuz is completely closed, according to a statement published on the army’s website.

Sayyari noted that the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps is fully controlling the strait’s western waters, while the waterway’s eastern waters up to the north of the Gulf of Oman are completely controlled and monitored by the army’s naval forces.