DUBAI: Three tankers exploded ​and caught fire after hitting sea mines while attempting to cross an unauthorized ‌route ‌south ​of ‌the ⁠Strait ​of Hormuz ⁠over the past 24 hours, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said ⁠in a statement ‌shared on ‌Thursday ​by ‌state media.

The ‌tankers had switched off their radar and ‌navigation systems and ignored warnings from ⁠the ⁠Guards’ navy, which said the vessels had been abandoned on the southern shores of ​the strait.

A ship on fire has been reported in the Strait of Hormuz, British maritime agency UKMTO earlier said on Thursday, without providing details of the cause of the blaze or any casualties.

The agency said it received the report from the master of another ship, with the vessel spotted nine nautical miles (17 kilometers) north of Oman’s Khasab, which sits just off the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key transit point for global oil and natural gas supplies. Since the start of the Middle East war in February, Iran has sought to control the waterway and has attacked ships it accuses of passing through the strait unauthorized.

The United States has responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports.