THREE TANKERS HIT MINES

TEHRAN, OCTOBER 29 /SRNA - RIA Novosti/ - Three tankers have struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, despite US claims that the strait had been cleared of mines, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps /IRGC/ said.

The US Central Command /CENTCOM/ has said that the United States had cleared mines from the primary shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, noting that thousands of vessels had already passed through the area.

"Over the past 24 hours, three trespassing tankers struck mines and caught fire while transiting the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, a route prohibited by Iran," a statement from the IRGC press office read.

The Iranian military noted that all three tankers had deactivated their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings issued by the IRGC's naval forces.