Tehran, Oct. 22 -- Iran's theocratic paramilitary force, the IRGC, said on Thursday it had struck four vessels transferring oil between ships in the Persian Gulf after they used shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran considers unauthorised. It also said that three other vessels had struck mines while traversing via the "unauthorised" route in the strait.
The IRGC Navy said it had tracked four vessels that had passed through what it called an "illegal route", referring to southern shipping lanes near Oman that the US has encouraged commercial vessels to use to avoid Iranian fees and controls.
"They discovered the vessels transferring oil cargoes from ship to ship in the north-central part of the Persian Gulf," the IRGC sa...