Three tankers struck mines and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours, and caught fire while trying to navigate an unauthorized southern route through the waterway, according to the Public Relations Office of the Revolutionary Guards Navy (IRGC). “During the past 24 hours, three tankers that violated the rules exploded and caught fire after hitting mines while sailing the unauthorized southern route through the Strait of Hormuz. They were abandoned off the southern coast of the straits," the statement said.