The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attacks on two supertankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement published early Tuesday, the IRGC labelled the two targeted tankers as “violators,” claiming that the vessels had “turned off their navigation systems,” ignored warnings from the “Strait of Hormuz Security Control Center,” deviated from the designated route, and put maritime shipping in the waterway at risk.
The statement also claimed that the U.S. military had attempted to “provoke the vessels” into navigating through an “illegal route” and that the two tankers were targeted and disabled after “choosing to transit through a mined path.”
The IRGC went on to warn that cooperation with the United States and the use of routes not designated by the Guard Corps would yield “nothing but regret, damage, delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the creation of a global energy crisis.”
Hours before the IRGC’s statement was released, the United Arab Emirates accused the Islamic Republic of carrying out “unprovoked attacks” on two of its tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Emirati and Bahraini officials, the attack resulted in one death and left eight others injured.
