Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that two ships were involved in an "accident" after attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an "unsafe route", while two other vessels abandoned the passage, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The IRGC Navy claimed that the four vessels, which it described as "violating vessels" backed by "American terrorists", switched off their navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings from the Strait of Hormuz Control Base before attempting to leave the strategic waterway through what it called an unsafe route.
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"Vessels that are influenced by the words of the Americans and enter unsafe routes will certainly face accidents," the IRGC said in a statement.
The IRGC said two of the vessels were involved in incidents and were forced to stop, while the other two turned back and abandoned their course.
IRGC Navy Says Two Violating Ships Halt in Strait of Hormuz After Incidents, Two Others Turn Back
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) July 19, 2026
Two violating ships suffered incidents and stopped in place while two others abandoned their unsafe route in the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/HSWTJeKW0T
The IRGC Navy reiterated that Iran retained full control over the Strait of Hormuz and said only shipping routes approved by Iranian authorities would be permitted. It also repeated its warning that "not a single drop of oil, gas, or chemical fertiliser" would pass through the waterway without prior authorisation and cooperation.
The statement added that vessels attempting to use unapproved routes under the influence of what it described as American propaganda would "certainly be involved in incidents."
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The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz following recent military exchanges between the United States and Iran after a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire collapsed.
Iran has since tightened its oversight of commercial shipping through the strategically vital waterway.
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