IRGC says container ship carrying more than 2,500 containers sank after hitting mine south of Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said Wednesday that a container ship carrying more than 2,500 containers sank south of the Strait of Hormuz after striking a naval mine.

The IRGC said the vessel was attempting to use what it described as an "unauthorized and dangerous" route when the mine exploded, causing a major fire before the ship sank.

The Guard did not name the vessel. Separately, maritime security sources identified the Singapore-flagged GFS Pride as a container ship that sank in the area after being struck, although independent reports have described the cause as an unknown projectile rather than confirming the IRGC's mine account.

The IRGC warned ships and local fishermen to exercise caution because containers from the vessel were floating in the surrounding waters.

UK Maritime Trade Operations reported four separate attacks in the Strait of Hormuz on October 13 involving a tanker and three container ships struck by unknown projectiles. Vanguard identified them as GFS Pride, GFS Giselle, Al Saadiyat and the tanker Alfonso.

The four incidents brought UKMTO's October tally to 24 warnings and three advisories as attacks on commercial shipping around Hormuz continue to intensify.