TEHRAN: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning to the United States amid rising tensions, invoking the 1987 mining of the supertanker Bridgeton as a reminder of past confrontations in the region.
The IRGC, said Iran was waiting for the United States to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints.
“We are waiting for their presence,” Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, responding to comments from the US energy secretary that the US Navy was preparing to escort vessels through the strait once conditions allowed.
The IRGC also warned the US to recall the events of 1987. “We recommend that before making any decision, the Americans remember the fire of the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 and the oil tankers that were recently targeted,” he said, according to Iran’s news agency.
The warning comes as maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained amid an ongoing regional conflict. The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman handles a significant portion of the world’s oil shipments, making it a focal point of geopolitical tensions.
The Bridgeton incident occurred during the “Tanker War” phase of the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, when both sides targeted oil shipping in the Gulf.
In 1987, Kuwait, whose tankers were transporting Iraqi oil, requested military protection from both the United States and the Soviet Union after repeated attacks on its shipping. Washington responded with Operation Earnest Will, under which Kuwaiti tankers were reflagged under the U.S. flag and escorted by American naval vessels.
On July 21, 1987, the 414,000-ton supertanker Bridgeton and the gas carrier Gas Prince departed the Gulf of Oman under the protection of three US warships in the first Earnest Will convoy. The group passed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident despite being approached by Iranian fighter jets.
Three days later, however, the convoy encountered danger near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces had secretly laid a line of nine sea mines in the shipping channel after abandoning plans for a direct speedboat attack.
On July 24, 1987, the Bridgeton struck one of the mines about 13 miles west of Farsi Island. The explosion caused a large dent in the tanker’s outer hull but did not disable the vessel, which continued its journey.
Following the blast, US warships repositioned themselves behind the tanker, allowing the massive double-hulled ship to act as a pathfinder through the suspected minefield.
Although the ship completed its voyage, the incident was widely seen as a propaganda victory for Iran. At the time, Iranian Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi called it “an irreparable blow to America’s political and military prestige.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy routes, with a significant share of global oil exports passing through the narrow passage each day.
Iran’s latest remarks signal the possibility of renewed confrontation if the United States proceeds with naval escort operations similar to those conducted during the 1980s tanker war.
Analysts say any escalation in the Strait could have major implications for global energy markets and regional security.
Agencies