The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of international concern due to heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.
Amidst ongoing controversies, a claim circulating online asserted that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported two oil tankers exploding after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. This report aims to verify that assertion.
Claim: IRGC announced the explosion of two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s IRGC stated that two oil tankers detonated after encountering naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, coinciding with ongoing exchanges of drone and missile strikes between Iran and the United States. According to a statement released by IRNA, the IRGC declared, "An hour ago, two oil tankers, which were attempting to pass through the minefield south of the Strait of Hormuz with the assistance of deceptive American intelligence agencies, exploded and caught fire." The IRGC also reported intercepting four vessels attempting to navigate this critical shipping lane, which is responsible for approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments. These claims emerged as the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran for the seventh consecutive night, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stating the operations were aimed at "continuing to degrade Iranian military capabilities." Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to target Iranian infrastructure, although Washington had not confirmed the commencement of such strikes as of Friday. These recent military exchanges represent the most significant escalation since hostilities resumed.
Fact Check: Unsubstantiated
CENTCOM has refuted the IRGC’s claim, stating there is no evidence to support the assertion that two oil tankers exploded after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM shared a fact-check on X, labeling the claim as false, and stated, "CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims that two oil tankers have exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting mines in the international waterway. FACT: Like most IRGC claims, this is false." The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route handling about 20% of global oil supplies, has seen reduced maritime traffic amid the escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and conflicting reports from both sides.
Separately, CENTCOM reported that U.S. forces "successfully destroyed" a surveillance tower at Iran’s Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar. This facility was identified as part of a maritime surveillance network utilized by the IRGC for years to monitor commercial vessels operating in the vicinity of the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM elaborated in an X post: "On July 16, U.S. forces successfully destroyed the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port surveillance tower, part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coastline used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."