TEHRAN, July 23, 2026 (AFP) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States and Iran vie for control over the vital waterway.

In recent weeks, Iran has hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the strait, in a bid to strongarm vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage.

“Three oil tankers, provoked and tempted by the child-killing American army, were trying to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back,” the IRGC said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media.

The statement did not say when the incident happened.

“The powerful IRGC Navy emphasizes that the Strait of Hormuz is under our control… and any ship that is deceived by the US and intends to pass without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran will suffer the same fate,” the statement added.

The IRGC statement came shortly shortly after the US military launched its 12th night of strikes, pummelling infrastructure and other targets in Iran.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump warned that the US will destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait.

In response, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would adopt an “eye for an eye” defense doctrine, posting on X that “Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.”

The US military has so far not responded to the latest report about three oil tankers being hit by Iranian fire. In a post on X hours earlier, the US military’s Central Command said the IRGC’s claim that it controls exit and entry to the Strait of Hormuz is false.