The origins of the load and the tanker’s flag were not immediately disclosed.
Saudi strikes that began overnight have killed at least 12 people in Yemen, three of them children, Houthi media reported on Saturday. It also said overnight strikes in Dhamar province killed three children and wounded 17.
“A supertanker in violation of regulations, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and attempting to pass illegally through the Strait of Hormuz, struck a mine, triggering an explosion and a fierce fire,” the Revolutionary Guards said. On Thursday and Friday, Iran’s army said two tankers had caught fire in what Tehran calls its “prohibited zone” in Gulf of Oman, which extends into Arabian Sea. It said the strikes were carried out “using cluster bombs, which are banned internationally”.
Tehran seized control over Hormuz after the start of the war in late Feb, choking off the strait that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption. The statement did not specify the exact location of the incident. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday said two oil tankers were on fire in Strait of Hormuz after hitting mines in the waterway at the heart of the Middle East war.