US refutes Iranian naval mine-triggered oil tanker explosion claims

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said in a statement on Monday that a super oil tanker, which was trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz via the "forbidden" route to the south of the strait, exploded after hitting naval mines.

The US rejects the account, instead saying the tanker caught fire after being hit by a drone.

Warnings about the dangers of this route had been issued previously, according to the statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.

In the statement, the IRGC Navy said that the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked and remains under Iran's "smart control".