TEHRAN, July 31 — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said today that they had struck two tankers attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz under the “air escort” of the US military.

The IRGC said the “non-compliant oil tankers… were struck and brought to a halt, while four other oil tankers quickly changed course and returned to their previous positions”.

The Guards said the tankers had attempted to pass the strait via “an undeclared route”, the US-backed alternative to Tehran’s designated waterway closer to its own shores.

Iran has effectively maintained control over navigation through Hormuz since the outbreak of the war on February 28, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway.

Yesterday, the Guards said two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait had turned back after one caught fire. — AFP