IRGC criticizes CENTCOM chief over Hormuz tanker blasts

Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Wednesday that two more oil tankers had struck naval mines while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz via an unauthorized route under the direction of a US military officer, adding “another page to the black record” of US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper.

The IRGC also mocked US officials for staging what it called a media show by flying in a helicopter over areas outside the strait to "prove their lies," saying aerial images of Hormuz told the full story. Cooper had said on Oct. 30, after visiting US forces in the region, that American forces had cleared Iranian mines from key shipping routes in the strait.

According to the IRGC Navy, the two tankers had switched off their navigation and identification systems and, backed by US fighter jets, tried to slip out overnight through an unauthorized and dangerous route when they hit naval mines, causing massive explosions aboard the vessels. Both vessels are still burning fiercely and have been abandoned despite efforts to put out the fires.

In a separate statement, the Iranian Army's Navy said a fire broke out at dawn aboard a "violating" tanker in an unsafe and prohibited zone east of the strait, and urged shipowners to coordinate with Iran's armed forces to ensure safe passage. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also reported an incident involving a tanker in the strait, without further details. It was unclear whether the reports referred to the same vessels.