Seven oil tankers were damaged after being struck or hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, Iranian state television reported on Thursday.
Quoting a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Iranian state television reported that four tankers caught fire after being targeted while transferring oil, while three others were damaged and immobilised after hitting naval mines. Reuters reported.
The report did not provide details about possible casualties or the flags of the vessels. If verified, the attack could be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the strategic waterway since the Iran war began on February 28.
The report, cited by Reuters, also warned that the IRGC could target US bases in the region if Washington attempted to facilitate the passage of oil tankers through other parts of the strait. The IRGC has routinely targeted US bases in Gulf countries during the war.
Meanwhile, Iran's top security official has warned that the economic infrastructure of countries supporting the war could also be targeted if Iranian assets come under attack.
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, major general Mohsen Rezaei, told US publication Drop Site that any action against Iran would carry a cost and that Tehran had the means to respond if the conflict with the United States continued, Al Jazeera reported.
“One cannot consider Iran’s oil facilities, ports, and shipping as legitimate targets, but at the same time assume that the economic infrastructure of the other side that supports this war will remain immune forever,” Rezaei said.
He added that Tehran was “no longer interested in agreements whose only guarantee is political goodwill”, reiterating Iran's position that reopening the Strait of Hormuz remained conditional on the implementation of terms it had communicated to Washington. Al Jazeera reported.
Rezaei said Iran had also discussed with regional countries what he described as a better alternative, a security arrangement under which energy facilities, shipping lanes and civilian infrastructure would be mutually excluded from attacks.