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Iran's armed forces said on Thursday that four tankers had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, where the country has been targeting ships that transit without its authorisation.
Since the outbreak of the Middle East war in late February,
Tehran has heavily restricted traffic through the strategic shipping channel,
insisting vessels use routes it has approved.
The United States has in response imposed a naval blockade
on Iranian ports and has helped tankers cross the strait, which normally
carries about one-fifth of global oil.
"Last night, two tankers -- acting in violation of regulations and despite repeated warnings from the Revolutionary Guards Navy regarding the unauthorised and dangerous nature of the southern maritime route -- were involved in an accident while traversing this prohibited path in the strait," the Guards said in a statement.
They did not specify the nature of the "accident"
but said it left the two tankers immobilised after they were hit with a
"violent explosion".
"These two supertankers were carrying a combined total
of over four million barrels of oil, which are now ablaze -- a consequence of
the blind trust placed in the aggressive American military," the statement
said.
Later on Thursday, the Iranian army said two other tankers
it deemed to be "in violation" east of the strait had caught fire
after "hitting a naval mine", according to a statement released by
state television.
The statements did not specify the names or the nationalities
of the tankers in question.
Iranian forces have made multiple announcements in recent
weeks of ships catching fire attempting to use routes that Tehran considers
off-limits.
Tehran has often said they struck mines, though the US
military recently claimed all mines had been cleared from the strait.