In a statement on Friday, the IRGC Navy said a large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier was struck while attempting to transit the unauthorized route, resulting in a massive fire in its engine room and propulsion system.
It held the US military directly responsible for the incident and escalating maritime tensions, arguing that Washington causes such incidents by interfering in and deceiving shipping and insurance companies and by paying large bribes to them.
The IRGC Navy said its forces were exercising control over the Strait of Hormuz in line with the order of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, and the Iranian people’s demand for sovereignty over the waterway.
Pleading that the Iranian forces have not permitted and will not permit the presence of aggressive militaries in the region and that they would decisively deal with any hostile attempts to disrupt the management of the Strait of Hormuz, the statement warned that such bitter incidents would only increase should the American interventions continue.
The force also threatened companies with sanctions and punitive measures if their vessels were found in violation after being misled by the US military in the region.
Action taken against offending vessels will not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz, but any vessel traversing an unauthorized route anywhere in the region will be pursued and will be punished inevitably, the statement added.
