Since war broke out with the US in February, Tehran has required vessels to obtain permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz and attacked those that failed to comply. (EPA Images pic)TEHRAN: Iran's navy and Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that fires had broken out on a total of three oil tankers that struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has restricted navigation.

Tehran has insisted that vessels obtain its authorisation to cross the strait since war erupted with the US in February, and has attacked ships that do not comply.

"A short while ago, two oil tankers that had switched off their radar and positioning systems and were secretly attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorised route exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine," the Guards' navy said in a statement on the incident in the south of the waterway, carried by the Iranian state broadcaster early on Saturday.